


Ponds of Time (11th Doctor) [1]

by FamousManatee



Series: The Ponds of Time [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Eleventh Doctor Era, F/M, Fanfiction, Rewrite, Screenplay/Script Format, Season/Series 06, Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 66,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29587767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FamousManatee/pseuds/FamousManatee
Summary: Kyla Pond is the younger adopted sister of Amelia Pond. Their lives were normal and boring until one night a blue box came from the sky and crashed into their garden. They meet a strange man that will end up showing them all of time and space.-------------------------------------------------------------I don't own Doctor Who (even though that would be awesome) I'm just a huge fan and decided to make a fanfiction based on the scripts! Hope you enjoy my fellow Time Lords and Ladies!
Relationships: Amy Pond (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s), Eleventh Doctor & Original Character(s), Eleventh Doctor & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Ponds of Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173743
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ponds of Time was originally written on my Wattpad (FamousManatee) account, but I thought I'd expand to other writing pages with the recent buyout so that everyone can enjoy it. It is currently sitting at 210K reads and is one of my most popular reads! I've made sure to take special care regarding editing and revising grammar and such, though I'm not a professional, so there will be mistakes. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Pond Bedroom,

Two young girls kneel in front of a bed with their hands folded for prayer. These two girls aren't just ordinary girls, no, they're the Pond Sisters, Amelia and Kyla Pond, the girls who waited, and the girl who never stopped believing.

"Dear Santa, thank you for the dolls and pencils," Amelia thanked before getting cut off by her younger sister Kyla.

"And the fwish," she giggled causing Amelia to sigh before continuing.

"It's Easter now, so I hope we didn't wake you, but honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in our wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but... we know it's not, because, at night, there's voices. So, please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or..." Amelia got cut off by the sound of wheezing and a loud crash from outside, "Back in a moment," she stood up and grabbed Kyla's hand, Kyla let go of her hand and grabbed a torch from her nightstand, she ran back over to Amelia and grabbed her hand again. They walked over to the window and drew the curtains back, their shed was completely destroyed and a blue box was lying on its side in the middle of the wreckage.

Kyla smiled up at Amelia who was looking down at her. "Thank you, Santa," Amelia thanked before rushing to grab her jacket and wellies, while Kyla followed suit.

They both ran outside Amelia now holding the torch and Kyla's hand. They slowly approached the box when suddenly the doors flew open and a grappling hook came out of it along with a boatload of smoke. The two girls watched as a hand clamped onto the side followed by another before a man's head popped over the edge, making Kyla giggle slightly.

"Can I have an apple? All I can think about - apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new - never had cravings before," the guy straddled the edge and looked down into the smoking box, "Whoa! Look at that!" He exclaimed.

Kyla laughed while, Amelia held a confused facial expression, "Are you okay?"

The guy moved his leg over, so they were both hanging over the edge, "Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Heck of a climb back up, (I'll be changing all the swear words, hope you don't mind 😉)" he explained with a small smile.

"Wet," Kyla pointed out.

The guy looked down at himself before looking up again, "I was in the swimming pool."

"You said you were in the library," Amelia countered.

"So was the swimming pool."

"Are you a policeman?" Amelia asked.

"Why? Did you call a policeman?" He asked nervously.

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" She asked.

"What cra...?" He suddenly fell to the ground clutching his chest, "Argh!"

"Are you all right, mister?" Amelia asked.

He was now kneeling. "No, I'm fine, it's okay. This is all perfectly norm..." before he could finish his sentence he opened his mouth, and glowing gold dust flew out.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The same dust was coming from his hands, "I don't know yet. I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?" He asked.

"No, it just looks a bit..." she trailed off before Kyla finished.

"Weird," she finished with a smile.

He smiled slightly, "No, no, no. The crack in your wall. Does it scare you both?" He asked.

"Yes," they both answered.

He quickly jumped up, "Well, then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off," he strode away with full confidence until he ran face-first into a tree trunk, knocking him to the ground.

Kyla walked over to him and patted his forehead, "Owie," she mumbled.

He chuckled, "Owie indeed, still early days. Steering's a bit off." Kyla laughed as they all walked back into the house.

Kitchen,

They all stood in the kitchen. The Doctor was looking around the room with curiosity.

"If you're a doctor, why does your box say "Police"?" Amelia asked as she handed him an apple.

He took a bite of the apple chewed it then spat it out while coughing, "That's disgusting. What is that?" He asked with a disgusted face.

The apple landed near Kyla who waddled over to it; she picked it up and popped it in her mouth.

"No! Kyla, don't eat that!" Amelia exclaimed as she raced over and pulled the apple from Kyla's mouth, "We don't eat chewed food from the floor."

Kyla looked down, "Sowy..."

Amelia sighed before patting her head and turning back to the Doctor, "To answer your question, it was an apple."

"Apples are rubbish. I hate apples," he cringed and shook his head.

"You said you loved them," she exclaimed.

"No, no, I love yogurt. Yogurt's my favorite. Give me yogurt," he demanded.

Amelia ran over to the fridge and grabbed a container of yogurt; she handed him the yogurt. He ripped the top off and poured it into his mouth only to spit it out.

"I hate yogurt; it's just stuff with bits in," he stated as he wiped his mouth.

"You said it was your favorite!" She exclaimed once again.

"New mouth, new rules. It's like eating after cleaning your teeth; everything tastes wro-argh!" He started spazzed for a moment before going back to normal.

"What is it? What's wrong with you?" She asked.

Kyla stood next to the Doctor just staring up at him like he was the coolest thing on the planet.

"Wrong with me? It's not my fault. Why can't you give me decent food? You're Scottish - fry something," he exclaimed, after a moment he looked down to meet the blueish grey eyes of Kyla, "Can I get a towel?" He asked with a smile.

The girl nodded and grabbed his hand, she led him to the bathroom and opened a small closet, "Short," she pointed to the highest shelf where the towels were neatly folded.

The Doctor chuckled slightly and grabbed a towel, "Thank you..." he trailed off waiting for a name.

"Kyla," she replied before grabbing his hand again and pulling him back to the kitchen.

"That's a beautiful name, I had a friend named that," he smiled sadly and ruffled her dark blonde hair.

Kitchen,

The Doctor started drying his hair while Amelia cooked bacon.

"Ah! Bacon!" The Doctor exclaimed happily.

He sat down at the dining table and happily ate the bacon from the plate in front of him, the two girls laughed as they watched him eat until he pulled a face and spat it out again.

"Bacon. That's bacon. Are you trying to poison me?" He asked while leaning over the table.

Kyla reached over and pulled the plate towards her; The Doctor looked at her and chuckled when she started eating it. Amelia started cooking baked beans.

"Ah, you see, beans."

Kyla made a face, "Yuckie."

The Doctor turned to her, "You don't say much, do you?"

Amelia turned slightly, "Nope, she likes one-word phrases; she has finally gotten out of her grunting and pointing phase," she explained.

The Doctor nodded, "Interesting," he mumbled.

Once the beans were done, he sat back down at the dining table and took a forkful, and immediately spat them out into the sink, both Kyla and Amelia pulled a face.

"Beans are evil. Bad, bad beans." Kyla nodded in agreement.

He sat at the table once more, and Amelia made bread and butter.

"Bread and butter. Now you're talking," he smiled.

A few moments later the Doctor was at the door leading outside; he threw the plate out; there was a crash and a cat's meow, "And stay out!" He exclaimed before closing the door behind him.

Amelia now stood at the fridge, while the Doctor paced behind her.

"We've got carrots," she informed.

"Carrots? Are you insane? No, wait, hang on. I know what I need. I need... I need... I need..." he looked through the fridge and freezer, "Fish fingers and custard," he took them both out with a smile.

A while later they were all sitting at the table, or in Kyla's case on the table. The Doctor was contently eating his fish fingers and custard while Amelia and Kyla ate ice cream, Amelia's was vanilla while Kyla's was chocolate. The Doctor picked up the bowl of custard and started drinking it when he pulled it away it left a custard mustache.

"Funny," Kyla laughed throwing her hands up in the air.

"Am I? Good. Funny's good. What's your name?" He asked looking towards Amelia.

"Amelia Pond."

"Ah, that's a brilliant name. Amelia Pond, like a name in a fairy tale."

"Kyla's my adoptive sister," Amelia informed.

The Doctor smiled, "Amelia and Kyla Pond... The Pond sisters. Are we in Scottland, Amelia?" He asked.

"No. We had to move to England. It's rubbish," Amelia groaned.

"So what about your mum and dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd woken them by now," he asked while looking up at the ceiling.

"We don't have a mum and dad. Just an aunt."

"I don't even have an aunt," The Doctor informed.

"Lonely," Kyla stated.

The Doctor tilted his head slightly he opened his mouth to say something, but Amelia beat him to it, "You're lucky."

"I know. So, your aunt. Where is she?" He asked not looking away from Kyla that was still happily eating ice cream.

"She's out."

"And she left you alone? With a toddler?" He asked surprised.

Kyla gave him a face and held up her hand, "Four."

The Doctor smiled, "Sorry, a young lady."

She smiled and went back to her ice cream.

"We're not scared," Amelia retorted.

"'Course you're not. You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky; man falls out of box, man eats fish fingers and custard, and look at, just sitting there. So you know what I think?" He asked leaning forward slightly.

"What?"

"Must be one scary crack in your wall," he stated.

Amelia and Kyla's Bedroom,

The Doctor is examining the wall with a 'w' shaped crack in it, "You've had some cowboys in here. Not actual cowboys, though that can happen," he stated while glancing over at the smiling Kyla.

Amelia stood in the doorway leading into the bedroom with an apple in her hand, Kyla noticed and ran over to her, she reached up and plucked the apple out of her hand. Kyla laughed and ran back over to the Doctor holding it out to him.

"We used to hate apples, so our mum put faces on them," Amelia explained as she walked over.

Kyla grinned when the Doctor took the apple from her, he smiled back and turned to Amelia.

"She sounds good, your mum," he tossed the apple into the air and caught it, "I'll keep it for later," he bopped Kyla's nose before turning back to the wall, "This wall is solid, and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing - where's the draught coming from?" He questioned as he scanned the crack with a stick that had a glowy bit at the end, he flicked it and read something off it, "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. You know what the crack is?" He asked looking towards Amelia.

"What?"

"It's a crack," he ran his fingers along the crack, "I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, 'cos the crack isn't in the wall," he explained.

Amelia gave him a confused face, "Where is it, then?"

"Everywhere. In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched pressed together... right here in the wall of your bedroom," he glanced at Kyla before pressing his ear to the wall, "Sometimes, can you hear..."

"A voice? Yes." Amelia finished.

He pushed himself off the wall and grabbed a glass of water from a nightstand, threw the water behind his back, and then pressed it to the wall putting his ear to the other side.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the voice from the crack alerted.

"Prisoner Zero?" The Doctor rhetorically asked.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped. That's what we heard. What does it mean?" Amelia asked.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the voice repeated.

The Doctor pushed himself off the wall and turned towards the two girls, "It means that, on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner. Do you know what that means?" He asked.

"What?" Amelia asked pulling Kyla into her side.

"You need a better wall," he moved their desk out of the way, "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert, and it'll snap itself shut. Or..." he trailed off as if realizing something.

"What?" Amelia asked.

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes," Amelia answered.

"Everything's going to be fine," he assured with a smile. He held his hand out to Kyla, and she happily grasped it. With his other hand, he pointed the glow stick of destiny at the crack. Amelia peered around the both of them as a blinding light shined through the crack as it opened.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the same voice announced.

The Doctor cautiously took a step forward.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the voice repeated.

"Hello? Hello?" The Doctor called.

A blue eye popped up in the crack making Kyla scream and hold onto the Doctor's leg, the Doctor placed his hand on the back of her head.

"What's that?" Amelia asked.

A small ball of light shot out of the crack and hit the Doctor making him and Kyla fall against Amelia's bed before the crack sealed again.

"There. You see, told you it would close. Good as new," he smiled.

"What was that thing? Was that Prisoner Zero?" Amelia asked.

"No. I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was, it sent me a message. Psychic paper takes a lovely little message. 'Prisoner Zero has escaped.' But why tell us? Unless..." he suddenly stood up.

"Unless what?" Amelia asked.

The Doctor looked around, "Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here. But he couldn't have. We'd know," he ran out of the room with both Amelia and Kyla following.

Hallway,

The Doctor was looking around confused, "It's difficult. Brand-new me, nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing... in the corner..." he looked to a door at the end of the hallway, "of my eye."

Suddenly, a deep bell sound echoed through the house. The Doctor started panicking and ran down the stairs yelling 'no,' both Amelia and Kyla followed behind.

Garden,

The Doctor ran outside with Kyla and Amelia following close behind.

"I've got to get back in there! The engines are phasing; it's going to burn!" He yelled.

"Box?" Kyla questioned with a tilted head.

The Doctor unhooked his grappling hook and gathered the rope, "It's not a box. It's a time machine."

Amelia raised an eyebrow at him, "What, a real one? You've got a real time machine?" She asked in disbelief.

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized. Five-minute hop into the future should do it," he informed as he looped the rope through the door handles.

"Can we come?" Amelia asked with hopeful eyes.

"Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back," he promised as he hopped onto the edge of the box.

"People always say that," Amelia stated with a frown.

He frowned and hopped off the box, he came over to the two girls and crouched down to their height, "Am I, people? Do I even look like people? Trust me; I'm the Doctor."

They both smiled; the Doctor turned to Kyla and bopped her nose before climbing back up onto his blue box. He grabbed the rope and gave them one last glance before hopping in, "Geronimo!" The doors slammed shut, and the blue box began to disappear with the same wheezing noise.

Amelia grabbed Kyla's hand and dragged her back into the house. They ran up the stairs, and she pulled out two suitcases once they reached their bedroom.

"Where we going?" Kyla asked looking up at her sister.

"With the Doctor," she replied with a smile, "Now start packing!"

Kyla smiled and pulled the suitcase behind her. They both packed their clothes and stuffed teddies. Once they were both done packing, they bundled up in warm hats and coats and made their way outside. The time ticked away, but the Doctor never did show up.


	2. Chapter 2

Garden, Day, 3rd Person,

The blue box materialized in the Pond's back garden, but this time right side up. The doors opened letting smoke pour out, the Doctor emerged with a cloth covering his nose and mouth.

"Amelia! Kyla!" He shouted as he ran towards the Pond house, "I worked out what it was. I know what I was missing! You've got to get out of there!" He yelled as he used his stick thing to unlock the door.

The Doctor got the door open and ran upstairs straight to the door that was causing trouble earlier, "Amelia? Kyla? Are you both all right? Are you there?" He asked before bending down next to the handle, "Prisoner Zero is here. Prisoner Zero is here! Prisoner Zero is here! Do you understand me? Prisoner Zero is..." as he turned around he got hit with a cricket bat.

Hallway,

The Doctor started to come to, and when his vision cleared there was a policewoman in a very short skirt in front of him talking in her radio.

"White male, mid-20s, breaking and entering. Send me some back-up, I've got him restrained," she ended the conversation and looked towards the now awake Doctor, "Oi, you! Sit still," she demanded.

The Doctor groaned, "Cricket bat. I'm getting cricket bat."

"You were breaking and entering," she defended.

The Doctor tried to stand up but got yanked back by handcuffs that were connected to a radiator. A door opened and closed from downstairs.

"Amy! I'm home from school!" Another female voice called.

The policewoman looked over towards the stairs before turning back to the Doctor.

"Well, that's much better. Brand-new me, whack on the head. Just what it needed," the Doctor continued.

"Do you want to shut up now? I've got back-up on the way!" The policewoman exclaimed.

"Amy? Who are you talkin' to?" The other female voice asked.

"No one, just do your homework!" The policewoman yelled back.

There wasn't a reply except for a groan and a string of insults, she rolled her eyes and turned back to the Doctor.

"Hang on, no, wait - you're a policewoman, and who's downstairs?" He questioned with squinted eyes.

"And you're breaking and entering. You see how this works?" The policewoman asked avoiding his second question.

"But what are you doing here? Where's Kyla and Amelia?" He asked.

"Amelia and Kyla Pond?" She asked.

"Yeah. Little Scottish girls. Where are they? I promised them five minutes but the engines were phasing. I suppose I must have gone a bit far. Has something happened to them?" He asked with concern.

"The Pond girls haven't lived here in a long time," she answered.

"How long?" He asked.

"Six months."

"No, no, no! I can't be six months late! I said five minutes. I promised," he sniffed and looked down slightly.

The policewoman walked away when footsteps were approaching the steps, "Ky! Don't come up here!"

"I need my calculator, I'm coming up there," the other female exclaimed as she climbed up the steps, "What on earth are you wearing?" She asked once she could see the policewoman. She shook her head and lifted a hand up, "Actually nevermind, I don't want to..." she trailed off when she saw the Doctor handcuffed to the radiator, a smile slowly crept up on her face.

"What happened to them? What happened to Amelia and Kyla Pond?!" He yelled.

The younger female stood there with a smile.

"Sarge, it's me again. Hurry it up, this guy knows something about the Pond girls." The policewoman spoke into her radio.

"Doctor?" The younger female mumbled with a tilted head.

The Doctor leaned slightly to see the younger woman and the door behind her.

"I need to speak to whoever lives in this house now," the Doctor demanded.

"We live here," the two women said simultaneously.

"But you're the police and a schoolgirl."

"Yes, and this is where we live. You got a problem with that?!" The policewoman exclaimed.

"How many rooms?" He asked.

"What?" The younger girl asked.

"On this floor. How many rooms on this floor? Count them for me now," the Doctor demanded.

"Five," the younger girl said, "One, two, three, four, five..." she trailed off as she pointed to a sixth door.

"Six?" The policewoman asked.

"Look," the Doctor instructed.

"Look where?" She asked.

"Exactly where you don't want to look. Where you never want to look, the corner of your eye. Look behind you."

She turned to face the way the younger girl was staring, "That's... that's not possible. How's that possible?" she asked.

"There's a perception filter 'round the door. Sensed it the last time I was here. Should've seen it," he explained.

"But that's a whole room. That's a whole room we've never even noticed," the younger girl exclaimed.

"The filter stops you. Something came a while ago to hide. It's still hiding. You need to uncuff me now!" He demanded.

The policewoman slowly started to approach the door, while the younger girl backed up towards the Doctor.

"I don't have the key. I lost it," the policewoman stated.

The younger girl groaned, "'Course you lost it!" She knelt down by the Doctor with a smile.

"Stay away from that door!" He yelled at the policewoman, but she continued towards the door, "Do not touch that door!" She reached out and grabbed the door handle, "Listen to me! Do not open that..." before he could finish she turned the knob, "Why does no-one ever listen to me? Do I just have a face that nobody listens to? Again...?" He asked looking towards the younger girl.

She shrugged the smile not wavering from her face, "I think you have a very handsome face."

He looked at her a moment before he started frantically checking his pockets, "My screwdriver, where is it?" He asked.

The younger girl started to pull on the handcuffs as he shouted to the policewoman that was now in the mystery room.

"Silver thing, blue at the end. Where did it go?" He asked.

"There's nothing here," she yelled back.

"Whatever's there stopped you seeing the whole room. What makes you think you could see it?" He asked as he looked over to the younger girl, "Now, please, just get out!" He shouted.

"Silver, blue at the end?" She asked from the mystery room.

"My screwdriver, yeah," he confirmed.

"It's here," she informed.

"Must have rolled under the door," he inferred.

Mystery Room,

"Yeah. Must have," The screwdriver sat on a table in the middle of the room cover in goo, "And then it must have jumped up on the table..." she mumbled.

Hallway,

The young girl stopped messing with the handcuffs when that sentence finished coming out of the policewoman's mouth.

"Get out of there!" The Doctor yelled.

Mystery Room,

The policewoman reached out to grab the screwdriver.

"Get out!" The Doctor yelled from the hallway.

Hallway,

"Get out of there!" He shouted once again while pulling on the handcuffs as far as he could.

Mystery Room,

The policewoman backed away from the table. Behind her, something alien and eel-like eased down from the roof. It was covered in the same goo as the screwdriver was and had a mouth full of sharp teeth. The policewoman looked one way and then the other, but didn't see it.

"What is it? What are you doing?" The Doctor asked.

"There's nothing here, but..." she trailed off as she looked around again.

"Corner of your eye," the Doctor reminded.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Don't try to see it. If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you. Don't look at it," the Doctor instructed.

She looked around and the alien seemed to be toying with her.

"Do not... look," the Doctor ordered a moment too late.

The policewoman turned and saw the eel-like alien, she let out an ear-piercing scream.

Hallway,

The scream echoed through the house alarming the two people still in the hallway.,

"Get out!" The Doctor and the younger woman yelled.

The policewoman ran out of the room towards the Doctor and younger woman.

"Give me that!" He exclaimed as he took the screwdriver from the policewoman, he pointed it at the door and locked it before turning it towards the handcuffs and it doesn't work, "What's the bad alien done to you?" He mumbled.

"Will that door hold it?" The policewoman asked.

The younger girl rolled her eyes, "Oh, yeah. It's an inter-dimensional alien from outer space - they're all terrified of wood!" She sarcastically exclaimed.

A bright light suddenly emitted from the edges of the door.

"What's it doing?" The younger girl asked.

The Doctor wiped the screwdriver off with his finger, "I don't know, getting dressed? Run. Just go. She's got back-up's coming, I'll be fine," he assured.

"There is no back-up," The 'policewoman' informed.

The Doctor looked up at her, "I heard you on the radio, you called for back-up."

"I was pretending. It's a pretend radio," she admitted.

"You're a policewoman," the Doctor stated in disbelief.

"She's a kiss-o-gram!" The younger girl exclaimed with a shake of her head.

The woman pulled off her hat and her long ginger hair fell out.

Suddenly the door from the mystery room fell into the hallway and a man in blue coveralls was holding a lead for a large Rottweiler. He started walking forward into the hallway.

"But it's just..." The woman trailed off.

"No, it isn't. Look at the faces," the Doctor instructed.

The man growled and barked while the dog stayed impassive.

"What? I'm sorry, but what?" She asked looking down at the Doctor and the younger girl.

"It's all one creature..." The younger girl muttered making the Doctor turn to her.

"Yes, one creature disguised as two," the man and dog turned their heads in unison, "Clever multi-form," he looked away from the younger girl to the woman, "A bit of a rush job, though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?" The alien was now looking straight ahead towards the Doctor, "Mind you, where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, a live feed. How did you fix that?" He asked as it snarled.

The multi-form started approaching them, it opened its mouth showing off the same teeth as its previous form.

"Stay, boy!" The Doctor exclaimed, the alien halted, "We're safe. Want to know why? She sent for back-up."

"I didn't send for back-up!"

The younger girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I know, that was a clever lie to save our lives," the Doctor then turned to the alien, "Okay, yeah, no back-up! And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we ha back-up, then you'd have to kill us!" He exclaimed.

"Attention, Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded. Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded," a voice announced.

"What's that?" The younger girl asked.

"That would be back-up," the Doctor answered before looking back at the alien, "Okay, one more time. We do have back-up and that's definitely why we're safe."

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated," the voice informed.

"Well, safe apart from, you know, incineration," the Doctor shrugged.

"Oh yeah, really safe!" The younger girl exclaimed.

The alien turned to one of the other rooms off the hallway. The voice repeated its warning, and the Doctor started banging his screwdriver on the ground trying to get it to work.

"Work, work, work. C'mon!" He exclaimed. He continued banging it on the ground until it worked, he used it on the handcuffs and they finally unlocked.

He grabbed the young girl's hand, "Run," they both stood up and ran towards the stairs, he pushed the woman along, "Run!" He shouted and followed the two girls down the staircase.

Outside,

They all ran out and, the Doctor used the screwdriver on the door.

"Kiss-o-gram?" He asked.

"Yes!" The woman exclaimed.

"Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman?"

"You broke into our house! It was either this or a French maid!" She exclaimed as she continued to follow the Doctor and the younger woman that hasn't asked a single question about this guy, "What's going on? Tell me! Tell me!" She demanded.

They all stopped in front of the familiar blue box, "An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions?" He asked.

"Yes," the woman replied.

"Me too," he tried inserting a key into the keyhole, but it wouldn't work, "No, no, don't do that, not now! It's still rebuilding, not letting us in!" He frustratedly exclaimed.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated," the voice warned again.

The woman grabbed the Doctor's arm, "Come on."

He resisted and looked towards the shed, "No, wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait. The Shed." He ran over to the garden shed, "I destroyed this shed last time I was here, smashed it to pieces."

"So there's a new one. Let's go," she urged looking at the younger girl for help, but she only looked at the Doctor with the same look she gave him so long ago.

"But the new one's got old. It's ten years old at least," he sniffed the wood before rubbing his finger along it and then tasted it, "12 years. I'm not six months late, I'm 12 years late," he looked towards the younger girl then towards the woman.

"He's coming," the woman informed trying to avoid the topic.

"You said six months. Why did you say six months?" He angrily asked.

"We've got to go," she urged again.

"This matters. This is important. Why did you say six months?" He asked again.

"Why did you say five minutes?!" She asked with hurt laced in her voice.

"What?"

"Come on," she urged again.

"What?" The doctor repeated.

"Come on!" She exclaimed and grabbed his arm.

"What?" He asked again.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated," the voice warned again.

They all ran out of the garden passing the alien that was standing in the door.

Village Road,

The Doctor stopped and faced the woman, "You're Amelia."

She kept walking as she answered, "You're late."

"Amelia Pond, you're the little girl..." he trailed off and turned to the younger girl, "You're Kyla, I'm assuming."

She nodded with a smile, "Took you long enough."

He smiled slightly before Amy ruined the moment, "I'm Amelia, she's Kyla and you're late."

"What happened?" He asked.

"12 years," she replied.

"You hit me with a cricket bat."

"You hit him with a cricket bat!" Kyla exclaimed.

"12 years."

"A cricket bat," the Doctor repeated.

"12 years and four psychiatrists."

"Four?" He asked looking at Kyla.

She merely shrugged, "I kept biting them."

"Why?" He asked.

"They kept telling us you weren't real," she mumbled.

The voice came from an ice cream truck speaker, "Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."

"No, no, no, come on... What? We're being staked out by an ice-cream van?" Amy asked.

The Doctor ran over to the van followed by the Pond girls.

"He's back! Amy, he's back!" Kyla exclaimed to her sister as they ran to the Doctor.

Amy glanced at her sister before laughing.

"What's that? Why are you playing that?" The Doctor asked the vendor.

"It's supposed to be Claire De Lune," he shrugged.

The Doctor picked up the player and listened to the warning. He stepped away after a moment and looked around.

"Doctor, it's coming out of everything," Kyla pointed out.

He leaped over a low white fence into a pretty front garden. Amy ran around the front while Kyla followed the Doctor's tactics.

House,

They walked into a house, and an old woman was messing with her remote for the telly.

"Hello! Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television faults in this area. Also, crimes. Let's have a look," he took the remote from the woman.

"I was just about to phone. It's on every channel," she looked towards Kyla and Amy, "Hello, Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman now?" She asked, "Oh, hello, Kyla! Jeff won't stop blabbering on about you, it's good to see you!" She smiled.

Kyla nervously laughed, thankfully Amy saved her from that conversation, "Sometimes."

She turned back to Amy, "I thought you were a nurse."

"I can be a nurse."

"Or, actually, a nun," she stared at Amy a moment, while Kyla tried to not burst out laughing.

"I dabble."

"Amy, Kyla, who is your friend?" She asked.

"Who's Amy? You were Amelia?" The Doctor asked turning to them.

"Yeah, now I'm Amy."

"Amelia Pond - that was a great name," he sighed.

"Bit fairy tale."

"I know you, don't I? I've seen you somewhere before," the woman stated.

"Not me. Brand-new face..." the Doctor then made a stupid face making Kyla chuckle slightly, "First time on," he then turned to Amy, "And what sort of job's a kiss-o-gram?" He asked.

"I go to parties, and I kiss people," she cleared her throat, "With outfits. It's a laugh."

"Yeah, a laugh at your dignity," Kyla mumbled which earned an elbow to the ribs, "Ow!"

Amy innocently smiled at her, "You were little girls five minutes ago."

"You're worse than our aunt," Amy sighed.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everybody's aunt," he then looked at Kyla, "Be smarter than your sister," he turned to the woman, "And that is not how I'm introducing myself."

The Doctor picked up a radio and used his sonic screwdriver on it. The same message about Prisoner Zero was in French and German before it turned off.

"Okay, so it's everywhere, in every language. They're broadcasting to the whole world," he opened a window and looked up.

"What's up there? What are you looking for?" Amy asked.

"Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core... They're going to need a 40% fission blast," a young man walked into the room, and the Doctor walked up to him, "But they'll have to power up first, won't they? So assuming a medium-sized starship, that's 20 minutes," the guy was tall and the Doctor stood on his tippy-toes and then went back down, "What do you think 20 minutes? Yeah, 20 minutes. We've got 20 minutes."

"20 minutes to what?" Amy asked.

"Are you the Doctor?" The guy asked.

"He is, isn't he? He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor. All those cartoons and stories you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor, it's him," the woman agreed.

"I know," Amy smirked while nudging Kyla's side.

"Cartoons and stories?" He asked with amusement as he sat on the couch.

"Gran, it's him, isn't it? It's him!" The guy exclaimed.

"Jeff, shut up!" Kyla exclaimed as she blushed from embarrassment.

"20 minutes to what?" Amy asked again.

"The human residence. They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship and it's going to incinerate the planet. 20 minutes to the end of the world," he explained.

"Oh, fantastic!" Kyla exclaimed sarcastically.


	3. Chapter 3

Village Road,

"What is this place? Where am I?" The Doctor asked as they walked quickly down the road.

"Leadworth," Kyla answered with a cringe.

"Where's the rest of it?" He asked.

"This is it," Amy answered.

"Is there an airport?"

"No," Kyla answered.

"A nuclear power station?" He asked.

"What?! No!" Kyla exclaimed.

"Even a little one?" He asked with hopeful eyes.

"Nope," Amy replied.

"Nearest city?" He asked.

"Gloucester, half an hour by car," Amy replied.

"We don't have half an hour. Do we have a car?" He asked.

"Uh, no," Kyla sighed.

"Well, that's good! Fantastic, that is. 20 minutes to save the world, and I've got a post office. And it's shut! What is that?" He asked as he ran over to a duck pond.

"It's a duck pond," Amy replied.

"Why aren't there any ducks?" He asked.

"I don't know. There's never any ducks," Amy informed.

"Then how do you know it's a duck pond?" He asked.

"It just is. Is it important, the duck pond?" Kyla asked.

He spazzed for a moment, "I don't know. Why would I know?" He sat down on the edge of the pond clutching his chest, "I'm not ready, I'm not done yet."

The sky suddenly darkened, and they all looked up.

"Uh, Doctor? What's happening?" Kyla asked, "Why's it going dark?"

The sun appeared to be grey and flickered before it returned to its normal state.

"So what's wrong with the sun?" Amy asked.

"Nothing. You're looking at it through a force-field. They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet," he stood up and looked at the green where people were taking photos of the sun, "Oh, and here they come, the human race. The end comes, as it was always going to - down a video phone!" He exclaimed.

"This isn't real, is it? This is some kind of big wind-up," Amy asked in disbelief.

"Why would I wind you up?" He asked.

"You told us you had a time machine," Amy replied.

"And you both believed me."

"Then we grew up," she countered, only for Kyla to scoff.

They both turned to her, "You mean, you grew up and stopped believing in impossible things! I'm the one that always kept believing in the Doctor while you treated me like I was crazy!" She yelled.

"Wait, shut up!" Kyla frowned at him but listened to him ramble, "I missed it," he smacked his forehead, I saw it, and I missed it," he smacked his forehead again, "What did I see? I saw... What did I see?" He asked.

After a moment, he turned to Amy, "20 minutes. I can do it. 20 minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me," he offered.

"No."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, looking at Amy closely.

"No!" She grabbed him by the tie.

"Amy! Stop! What are you doing!?" Kyla exclaimed as she grabbed onto the Doctor's arm as Amy pushed him against a car and slammed his tie into the door, and locked it, "Are you insane!?" She bellowed.

"Who are you?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"You know who I am."

"No, really, who are you?" She asked again.

"Look at the sky! End of the world, 20 minutes," the Doctor reminded.

"Better talk quickly, then!" She shouted.

"Amy, I am going to need my car back," the older man that was the owner of the car stated.

"Yes, in a bit. Now go and have coffee."

"Right, yes," he then left.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out an apple; Kyla quickly snatched it from him, "The apple... you kept it?" She asked, looking up at him then back down to the smiley-faced apple.

He smiled, "I'm the Doctor. I'm a time traveler. Everything I told you 12 years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over," he explained.

Amy looked between the Doctor and Kyla, "I don't believe you."

The Doctor grabbed her wrist, "Just 20 minutes. Just believe me for 20 minutes. Look at it. Fresh as the day Kyla gave it to me. And you know it's the same one," Amy took the apple from Kyla and looked up at him, "Amy, believe for 20 minutes, but if you really can't believe in me, believe in Kyla."

Amy unlocked the car, "What do we do?"

Kyla smiled and hugged the Doctor catching him off guard; he wrapped his arms around her quickly before they pulled apart, "Stop that nurse!" He exclaimed. He grabbed Kyla's hand, and they all ran to the green. Once they reached Rory, he swiped his phone, "The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog. Why?" He asked.

"Amy, Kyla?" Rory asked, confused.

"Hi! Oh, this is Rory, he's a... friend," Amy introduced as she stood next to him.

Kyla rolled her eyes, "Boyfriend, he's your boyfriend!"

"Kind of boyfriend," she countered.

"Amy!" Rory exclaimed.

"Man and dog, why?" The Doctor asked again.

"Oh my god, it's him," Rory mumbled in realization.

Kyla sighed, "Yes, he's the Doctor! Now, just answer the question!"

"It's him, though—the Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor," Rory said in astonishment.

"He came back," Kyla informed.

"But he was a story. He was a game," Rory stated in disbelief.

The Doctor suddenly grabbed Rory by the shirt, "Man and dog - why? Tell me now."

"Sorry. Because he can't be there, because he's..."

"In a hospital coma," both the Doctor and Rory said in unison.

"Yeah," Rory nodded.

"Knew it. Multi-form, you see?" He let go of Rory's shirt, "Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a live feed, a psychic link with a living but dormant mind."

The multi-form snapped and snarled; the Doctor walked closer.

"Prisoner Zero," the Doctor greeted.

"What, there's a Prisoner Zero too?" Rory asked.

"Yep," Kyla nodded.

There was electrical buzzing, and they all looked up to see a spaceship fly over the green. The eye began to swivel back and forth.

The Doctor slipped the screwdriver from his pocket, "See, that ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology. And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver," he then held it above his head.

Streetlights shattered suddenly, car alarms blared, sirens wailed, and everyone began shouting. A fire truck drove away on its own, being chased by firemen.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?" The Doctor asked rhetorically.

Prisoner Zero started barking. The Doctor lowered his screwdriver, aiming it at the phone box, which caused it to explode. The screwdriver itself then sparked and fizzled, causing the Doctor to drop it on the ground, "No, no, no, don't do that!" He yelled.

"Look, it's going," Rory pointed out.

"No, come back; he's here! Come back! He's here; Prisoner Zero is here. Come back, he's here!" The Doctor shouted.

Prisoner Zero turned into mist and escaped through the drain.

"Doctor! He escaped through the drain!" Kyla exclaimed.

"Well, of course, it did," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What do we do now?" Amy asked.

"It's hiding in human form. We need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS, no screwdrivers, 17 minutes. Come on, think. Think!" He exclaimed.

They all walked over to the drain and stared at it.

"So, that thing lived in our house for 12 years?" Amy asked.

"Multi-forms can live for millennia. Twelve years is a pit-stop," the Doctor explained.

"So how come you show up again on the same day that lot do? The same minute?" Amy asked.

"They're looking for him but followed me. They saw me through the crack, got a fix. They're only late 'cos I am," he explained.

"What's he on about?" Rory asked.

"Now, sport, give me your phone," the Doctor demanded.

"How can he be real? He was never real," Rory asked, which earned him an elbow to the ribs by Amy, who nodded her head towards Kyla, who was now looking down.

The Doctor noticed but chose to ignore it, "Phone, now, give me!"

Rory reluctantly gave him his phone, "He was just a game. We were kids. You made me dress up as him. And Kyla wrote stories about him, which I was then forced to read," Rory whispered to Amy.

The Doctor was looking through Rory's phone, "These are all coma patients?" He asked.

"Yeah," Rory confirmed.

"No, they're all the multi-form. Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero," the Doctor informed.

"He had a dog, though. There's a dog in a coma?" Amy asked.

Kyla shook her head, "No, he's probably dreaming about his dog, so Prisoner Zero gets a dog." They all stared at her, "What? I paid attention in school."

"Right... Kyla, you're friend, what was his name? Not him the good-looking one, I need his laptop," the Doctor asked.

"Jeff? He's not really my friend though, he just kinda stalks me," she shrugged.

The Doctor squinted his eyes slightly, "He had a laptop in his bag, a laptop. Big bag, big laptop. You two, get to the hospital, get everyone out, clear the whole floor. Phone me when you're done, Kyla you're with me," he grabbed Kyla's hand and started running.

Jeff's Bedroom,

The Doctor entered Jeff's bedroom with Kyla close behind. Jeff was casually lying on his bed with his laptop on his lap.

"Hello. Laptop, give me!" He exclaimed and grabbed the laptop.

Jeff wouldn't let it go, "No, no, no, no, wait, hang on!" He exclaimed.

"It's fine, give it here," the Doctor finally got the laptop from him and sat at the bottom of the bed, "Blimey! Get a girlfriend, Jeff, but not Kyla; she's too good for you."

Jeff's mouth fell open while looking up at Kyla, who had gone red from trying not to laugh. Suddenly Jeff's Gran entered the room.

"Gran," Jeff greeted.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"The sun's gone wibbly, so right now, somewhere out there, there's going to be a big video conference call," he continued typing while Kyla looked over his shoulder, "All the experts in the world panicking at once, and do you know what they need? Me. Ah, and here they all are. All the big boys. NASA, Jordell Bank, Tokyo Space Center, Patrick Moore."

"Ooh, I like Patrick Moore," Jeff's Gran stated.

"I'll get you his number, but watch him; he's a devil," the Doctor informed.

"You can't just hack in on a call like that," Jeff pointed out.

"He's the Doctor. He can do anything," Kyla smiled.

The Doctor smiled and held his psychic paper to the webcam.

"Who are you? This is a secure call. What are you doing?" An expert asked.

"Hello. I know you should switch me off. But before you do, watch this," he typed something in.

"It's here too; I'm getting it," Another expert informed.

"Fermat's Theorem, the proof, and I mean the real one, never seen before. Poor old Fermat got killed in a duel before he could write it down. My fault, I slept in. Oh, and here's an oldie but a goodie - why electrons have mass. And a personal favorite of mine, faster-than-light travel with two diagrams and a joke. Look at your screens. Whoever I am, I'm a genius. Look at the sun. You need all the help you can get. Fellas, pay attention," The Doctor rambled.

The Doctor started typing something on the mobile.

"Sir, what are you doing?" One of the experts asked.

"I'm writing a computer virus. Very clever, super-fast, and tiny bit alive, but don't let on. Why am I writing it on a phone? Never mind, you'll find out. Okay, I'm sending this to all your computers. Get everyone who world for you sending this everywhere. Email, text, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, radar dish - whatever you've got. Any questions?" The Doctor asked.

"Who was your lady friends?" Patrick Moore asked.

The Doctor glanced at Kyla from the side of his eye, "Patrick, behave!"

"What does this virus do?" An expert asked.

"It's a reset command, that's all. It resets counters, it gets in the wifi, and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars, anything with a chip will default at zero at exactly the same time. But, yeah, I could be lying, why should you trust me? I'll let my best man explain," silence followed his statement, "Jeff, you're my best man."

"Your what?" He asked.

The Doctor closed the laptop slightly, "Listen to me. In ten minutes, you're going to be a legend. In ten minutes, everyone on that screen is going to be offering you any job you want. But first, you have to be magnificent. You have to make them trust you and get them working. This is it, Jeff. Right here, right now. This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world."

"Why me?" He asked.

"It's your bedroom. Now go, go, go," he stood up, grabbed Kyla's hand, and pulled her out of the room.

Jeff opened his laptop, "Okay, guys, let's do this."

Kyla opened the door again, "Also, clear your internet history," she smiled and left again.


	4. Chapter 4

Village Road, Day, 3rd Person,

The Doctor and Kyla are sitting in a fire engine while the Doctor drives.

"Are you on your way? You're going to need a car," Amy informed over the phone.

"Don't worry. We've commandeered a vehicle," Kyla laughed and flipped a switch making the sirens blare.

Amy hung up, and they continued to drive.

Hospital,

Rory and Amy walked out of the lift to see the corridor in shambles; gurneys and tables overturned, scrubs and utensils littered the floor. A woman with two daughters walked out from one of the corridors.

"Officer," the woman spoke.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"There was a man—a man with a dog. I think Dr. Ramsden's dead. And the nurses," she explained.

Amy pulled out her phone and dialed the Doctor.

Village Road,

"Are you in?" The Doctor asked once he answered the phone.

"Yep," Amy replied, "But so's Prisoner Zero."

"You need to get out of there."

Hospital,

The woman started talking again, but this time, her voice came from one of the little girls.

"He was so angry. He kept shouting. And that dog, the size of that dog, I swear it was rabid," she described.

Amy and Rory started to back away.

"And he just went mad, attacking everyone. Where did he go, did you see? Has he gone? We hid in the ladies," she continued.

"Oh, I'm getting it wrong again, aren't I? I'm always doing that. So many mouths," they opened their mouths to reveal their sharp teeth.

"Oh, my god!" Rory exclaimed.

Village Road,

"Amy? Amy, what's happening?" The Doctor asked.

"Amy, talk to us!" Kyla exclaimed.

"We're in the coma ward. But it's here, it's getting in," Amy informed.

"Which window are you in?" The Doctor asked.

"What, sorry?" She asked.

"Which window?" He asked again.

Hospital,

"First floor on the left, fourth from the end."

Prisoner Zero broke through the door, "Oh, dear—little Amelia Pond. I've watched you and your sister grow up. 12 years, and you never even knew I was there. Little Amelia Pond, waiting for her magic Doctor to return, but not this time, Amelia," it opened its mouth.

Amy's phone beeped with a message from the Doctor: 'Duck!' The wailing from a fire engine, Rory pushed Amy out of the way as the latter from the fire engine broke the window. The Doctor and Kyla climbed up and joined Amy and Rory.

"Right! Hello! Am I late? No, three minutes to go. So still time," he exclaimed while looking at a clock.

"Time for what, Time Lord?" Zero asked.

"Take the disguise off. They'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies," the Doctor suggested.

"The Atraxi will kill me this time. If I am to die, let there be fire," Zero sneered.

"Okay. You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again - just leave," the Doctor pleaded.

"I did not open the crack," Zero informed.

"Somebody did," he mumbled.

"The crack's in the skin of the universe - don't you know where they came from? You don't, do you?" The voice switched to one of the girls, "The Doctor and The Mother in the TARDIS don't know," she spoke in a sing-song voice, "Doesn't know, doesn't know!" It then went back to its normal voice, "The universe is cracked. The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."

A clicking sound started.

The Doctor looked up at the wall, "And we're off! Look at that," he pointed at a clock that now read '0:00', "Look at that! Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever. But do you know what's happening right now?" He asked. "In one little bedroom, my team is working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? The word is out. Do you know what the word is? The word is zero. Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?" He pulled out a mobile from his pocket, "The source, by the way, is right here," a bright light shined through the windows, "Oh! And I think they just found us!" He happily exclaimed.

"The Atraxi are limited. While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me," Zero countered.

"Yeah, but this is the good bit. I mean, this is my favorite bit. Do you know what this phone is full of?" The Doctor asked.

"Pictures of you, buddy!" Kyla exclaimed, pointing a finger at Prisoner Zero.

The Doctor smiled slightly, "Every form you've learned to take, right here. Oh, and being uploaded about now. And the final score is - no TARDIS, no screwdriver - two minutes to spare," he held his arms out, "Who da man?" His statement was greeted by silence. He glanced at Amy and Kyla, who shook their heads, "Right, never saying that again! Fine."

"Then I shall take a new form," Zero informed.

"Oh, stop it, you know you can't. Takes months to form that kind of psychic link."

"And I've had years," a glow formed around Prisoner Zero.

Amy and Kyla both fell to the floor. The Doctor and Rory rushed over to them.

"No! Kyla, Amy?" The Doctor exclaimed.

He placed his hands on Kyla's face, "You've got to hold on. Kyla, Amy! Don't sleep! You've got to stay awake, please."

"Doctor?" Rory asked, looking towards Prisoner Zero.

Prisoner Zero had taken the Doctor's form, "Well, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be?"

"It's you," Rory answered with a confused expression.

"Me? Is that what I look like?" He asked.

"You don't know?" Rory asked.

"Busy day," The Doctor stood up, "Why me, though?" He asked as he turned to Zero, "You're linked with them. Why are you copying me?" He asked.

"I'm not. Poor Amy and Kyla Pond. Still such children inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor they know will return and save them. What a disappointment you've been," Zero said as it walked out from behind the 'Doctor' as the young Amy and Kyla.

"No, they're dreaming about me 'cos they can hear me," the Doctor stated before running over to Amy, "Amy, don't just hear me, listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see? Remember you went inside. I tried to stop, but you did. You went in the room. You went inside. Amy... dream about what you saw," he encouraged.

"No... no... no!" Zero glowed and transformed into its original form.

The Doctor stood up and faced it, " Well done, Prisoner Zero. A perfect impersonation of yourself."

Prisoner Zero got caught in light and began to wither.

"Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained," the voice announced.

"Silence, Doctor. Silence will fall," Zero spoke before disappearing.

With a large swoosh of air, the spaceship left. The Doctor ran to the window while dialing someone on the phone.

"The sun - it's back to normal, right? That's... that's good, yeah? That means it's over," Rory smiled.

Both Amy and Kyla woke up.

Rory noticed and went over to them, "Amy, Kyla? Are you okay? Are you with us?"

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"Yes, what happened, and was I hit with a truck?" Kyla asked, holding her head.

"No, and he did it. The Doctor did it," Rory informed.

"No, I didn't."

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Tracking the signal back. Sorry, in advance," the Doctor apologized.

"About what?"

"The bill," he held the phone up to his ear, "Oi, I didn't say you could go! Article 57 or the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established, level 5 planet, and you were going to burn it? What...? Did you think no-one was watching? You lot, back here. Now!" The Doctor shouted and threw the phone at Rory, "Okay. Now I've done it," he then turned and walked out of the ward with Kyla and Amy following.

"Did he just bring them back? Did he just save the world from aliens and then bring all the aliens back again?" Rory asked.

"Yep!" Kyla called back.

The Doctor walked down the hallway with pure determination as the other three followed close behind.

"So, where are we going?" Kyla asked.

"The roof. No, hang on," he stopped and entered a room.

Changing Room,

The Doctor was sifting through clothes, tossing the ones he didn't like.

"What's in here?" Amy asked.

"I'm saving the world - I need a decent shirt. To heck with the raggedy. Time to put on a show!" He exclaimed.

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth. Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death, and now you're taking your clothes off..." Rory uncomfortably stated as the Doctor stripped from his tattered clothes, "Amy, Kyla, he's taking his clothes off," they both watched contently.

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you," the Doctor suggested.

"Are you stealing clothes now? Those clothes belong to people, you know," Rory said as he turned around, "Are you both not going to turn your backs?"

"Nope," Amy and Kyla answered in unison.

Hospital Roof,

The Doctor now wore a long-sleeved shirt, trousers with braces, and several ties draped over his neck. He strode over to the awaiting Atraxi ship, Amy and Rory stood back a bit, but Kyla, on the other hand, walked right next to the Doctor.

"So this was a good idea, was it? They were leaving." Amy asked.

Before the Doctor could answer her question, Kyla did, "Think about it, Amy, leaving is great, but never coming back is always better."

The Doctor patted her head before facing frontwards again, "Come on then! The Doctor and Kyla Pond will see you now!"

The 'eye' disconnected itself from the ship and scanned both of them.

"You are not of this world," the Atraxi deduced.

Kyla furrowed her eyebrows, "Um, what?"

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it, and she's from Earth? You need to get your facts straight, mate," the Doctor informed. He looked at the ties around his neck, "I don't know. What do you think?" He asked, looking at Kyla. She shrugged in response.

"Is this world important?" The Atraxi asked.

"Important? What's that mean, important?" The Doctor asked as he tossed a tie behind him, which Rory caught, "6 billion people live here - is that important? Here's a better question. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" he asked and threw another tie which landed on Amy's shoulder she handed it over to Rory, "Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat?" He asked.

The Atraxi projected a hologram of Earth showing scenes from history.

"No," the Atraxi answered.

"Are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" The Doctor asked.

"No," the Atraxi repeated.

"Okay. One more. Just one. Is this world protected?" Kyla asked.

"Because you're not the first lot to come here," the Doctor continued.

As the Doctor spoke, a projection of all the species and enemies that had come to Earth.

"Oh, there have been so many! And what you've got to ask is..." he gestured towards Kyla.

She smiled, "What happened to them?"

The projection switched through all the different versions of the Doctor from the first to the tenth, along with a woman that seemed to be younger than the Doctor. Both the Doctor and Kyla walked through the projection; the Doctor was now wearing a tweed jacket and a bowtie.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically... run!" The Doctor taunted.

The Atraxi ship departed. Amy laughed. The Doctor pulled out a TARDIS key that was glowing.

"We did it!" Kyla cheered and hugged the Doctor, making him stumble slightly.

He chuckled and hugged her quickly before pulling her off him and taking off.

"Is that it? Is that them gone for good? Who were they?" Amy asked only to realize that both Kyla and the Doctor were gone.

The Doctor ran out of the hospital's front doors, heading back towards the Pond house; Kyla was farther away.

House,

The Doctor ran into the back garden. The TARDIS was back and was completely refurbished.

"Okay! What have you got for me this time?" He opened the door and stood amazed, "Look at you!" He smiled, "Oh, you sexy thing! Look at you!" He cheered before he ran to the controls.

Kyla finally caught up to him when the TARDIS was dematerializing. She fell to her knees with a broken look on her face. Rory and Amy walked up, and Amy closed her eyes. Rory bent down to the sobbing Kyla and held her in his arms.

"He left us again..." she cried.

Kyla's Bedroom,

Kyla was sitting at her desk writing in a blue journal when she heard the familiar wheezing sound. She jumped out of the desk chair and ran over to the door. She pulled it open, and Amy stood in front of her in her nightie, blue and white striped robe, and slippers, whereas Kyla was wearing a large t-shirt with cotton shorts. They smiled at each other before running down the stairs and out to the back garden. When Amy opened the door, the Doctor was standing outside the TARDIS.

"Sorry about running off earlier. Brand-new TARDIS - bit exciting. I just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now," he explained and patted the side of it.

"It's you. You came back," Amy stated.

"You came back!" Kyla cheered.

"Course I came back. I always come back. Something wrong with that?" He asked.

"And you kept the clothes," Amy pointed out.

"Well, I just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me! I kept the clothes," he exclaimed.

Kyla laughed, "They suit you... especially the bow tie."

"Including the bow tie," Amy nodded.

"Yeah, it's cool. Bow ties are cool," he smiled and adjusted it.

"Are you from another planet?" Amy asked. Kyla slapped her shoulder.

"Don't be daft, of course, he's from another planet!" She exclaimed with a large grin.

"Yeah, I am," he smiled.

"Okay..." Amy trailed off.

"So what do you think?" He asked.

"Of what?" Amy asked.

"Other Planets. Want to check some out?" He asked.

"What does that mean?" Amy asked.

"It means... Well, it means... come with me," he nodded towards the TARDIS.

"Where?" she asked.

"Wherever you like."

"All that stuff, the hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero..." Amy trailed off, looking towards Kyla.

"Oh, don't worry. That's just the beginning. There's loads more," he informed.

"All that amazing stuff... that was all two years ago," Kyla sadly informed.

"Oh-oh! Oops," he sighed.

"Yeah," Amy nodded.

"So that's..." the Doctor trailed off.

"14 years!" Amy exclaimed.

"14 years since fish custard. Amy Pond, the girl who waited, and Kyla Pond, the girl who waited and believed, I think you've both waited long enough."

"When we were kids, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was in the library," Amy exaggerated the 'in.'

"Yeah. Not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So... coming?" He asked again.

"No!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yes!" Kyla just about yelled.

"You wanted to come 14 years ago," the Doctor pointed out.

"I grew up," Amy stated.

Kyla rolled her eyes, "Lies."

The Doctor chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll fix that."

Before he could snap his fingers, Kyla yelled, "Wait! Hold on, I'll be right back! Do. Not. Leave," she threatened before running back into the house.

"Where is she going?" The Doctor asked.

"She's getting her necklace; she doesn't sleep with it on," Amy answered.

"Necklace? She is about to go through all of time and space, and she's worried about a necklace?!" He exclaimed with a lot of hand gestures.

"It's the only thing her birth parents left her. She takes it with her everywhere," Amy explained.

"What does it look like?"

"She'll show it to you if you ask, not my story to tell," she smiled.

Kyla's Bedroom, Kyla's POV, 3rd Person (Kind of),

I ran into my room and went to my nightstand, and I picked up my locket necklace. I looked down at it and admired it.

Her necklace had an old gold chain and a matching locket that had intricate engravings.

I sighed and clasped it around my neck. I then ran back out to the garden.

Garden, 3rd Person,

Not a moment later, Kyla ran back into the garden, "Okay, carry on," she smiled.

The Doctor smiled and snapped his fingers. The TARDIS doors flew open, a soft orange light admitting from it. Their mouths fell open, and they walked in.

"Well...? Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all," the Doctor informed.

Kyla slowly turned in a circle, "It's a living machine..." she breathed.

The TARDIS made an approving hum.

The Doctor scrunched his face, "That's - that's a new one, but you're very much correct, and I think she likes you," he smiled.

"I'm in my nightie," Amy stated.

"Oh, don't worry—plenty of clothes in the wardrobe. And possibly a swimming pool. So... all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will... Where do you want to start?" He asked.

"You are so sure that I'm coming, "Amy pointed out.

He shrugged, "Yeah, I am."

"Why?" She asked.

"'Cos you're the Scottish girl in the English village, and I know how that feels," he answered.

"Oh, do you?" She asked.

"All these years living here most of your life... and you've still got the accent. Yeah, you're coming. Also, your little sister is coming."

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" She asked.

"It's a time machine. I can get you back five minutes ago. Why, what's tomorrow?" He asked.

Kyla went to answer, but Amy covered her mouth, "Nothing. Nothing. Just... you know, stuff."

"All right, then. Back in time for stuff."

Kyla was walking around the console when a new sonic screwdriver popped out of it.

"Oh! A new one!" The Doctor cheered and ran over, he tested it, "Lovely. Thanks, dear," he whispered before setting the controls.

"Why us?" Amy asked.

"Why not?" He replied.

"No, seriously. You are asking us to just run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?" She asked again.

"I don't know. Fun. Do I have to have a reason?" He asked.

"People always have a reason."

"Do I look like people?" He asked.

"Yes," Amy replied.

"You look the same as you did 14 years ago," Kyla replied.

"Been knocking around on my own for a while - my choice - but I've started talking to myself. It's giving me earache," he explained.

"You're lonely. That's it? Just that?" Amy asked.

"Being lonely is a reasonable reason, Amy... I should know," Kyla mumbled the last bit.

The Doctor looked at her as he answered Amy, "Just that. Promise."

"Okay," Amy agreed.

On the monitor behind the Doctor, a line seemed to mimic the crack from their bedroom. The Doctor switched it off, "So, are you okay, then? 'Cos this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit... you know," he gestured.

"I'm fine. It's just... There's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought... well, I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box," Amy shrugged.

"Amy and Kyla Pond, there's something you'd better understand. It's important, and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box. Ha-ha! Yeah," Amy and Kyla laughed, "Goodbye, Leadworth. Hello, everything!"

The Doctor hit the dematerialization switch, and they all held onto the console, ready to start a new adventure.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for the different formats. I'm still learning how to use this writing platform, but I think I've figured it out for the most part! Anyway, happy reading!

_TARDIS, Space, 3rd Person,_

The Doctor had a hold of Amy and Kyla's ankles as they floated outside of the TARDIS.

" _My name is Kyla Pond. When I was four, a madman in a box crashed in my garden. Last night was the night before my sister's wedding..._ "

"Come on, Ponds," the Doctor pulled them back inside.

" _And my madman came back._ "

"Now, do you believe me?" He asked, looking towards Amy. Kyla stood next to him with crossed arms and a wide smirk.

"Okay, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! Whoo! What are we breathing?" She asked.

"I've extended the air shell - we're fine," he squatted down and looked at something, "Now, that's interesting," they all looked over, and a huge spaceship city was flying underneath them, "29th Century. Solar flares roast the Earth," he stood up and walked to the console, "and the entire human race packs its bags," he started working on the controls, "and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations..." he explained.

"Uh, Doctor?" Kyla called while jumping up and down near the doors.

"...Migrating to the stars," he continued.

"Doctor?" She called again.

"Isn't that amazing?" He asked with excitement.

"Doctor!" Both Amy and Kyla yelled.

The Doctor looked up from the console to see Kyla jumping up and down, and Amy wasn't there. He walked over to see Amy clinging onto the side of the TARDIS.

"Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

They all walked over to the console, well, except Kyla, she bolted to the console.

The Doctor laughed and pulled up an image of the spaceship, "This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland - all of it bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship - that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and... shopping," Amy laughed while Kyla groaned, "Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go see it now?" Kyla asked while bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Course we can, but first, there's a thing," the Doctor informed.

"A thing?" She asked disappointedly.

"An important thing. In fact, thing one," he looked through a magnifying glass, "we are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets. Ooh! That's interesting," the screen showed a young girl sitting alone, crying.

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? 'Cos if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it - they've got to keep filming and let it die," Amy explained while looking at the screen.

"Jesh, talk about a mood killer," Kyla mumbled while looking at the screen as well.

Amy rolled her eyes, "It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard - being all, like, detached and cold?" She asked.

The Doctor appeared on the screen with the little girl, but she ran away.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

The Doctor looked at the camera and waved for them to join him; with a smile, Kyla ran out the doors with Amy close behind.

_London Market,_

They ran out of the TARDIS, and a voice greeted them, "Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored."

They looked around in awe and wonder. There was an arched glass on the ceiling that outer space could be seen through. The market was a series of stalls and booths similar to a modern-day marketplace.

"We're in the future. Like hundreds... of years in the future. We've been dead for centuries," she gushed.

Kyla looked at her, "Thanks for that mental image," she rolled her eyes with a shake of the head.

"Lovely. You're a cheery one," the Doctor took Amy's arm and Kyla's hand and pulled them along, "Nevermind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?" He asked.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Use your eyes, notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?" He asked again.

Kyla let go of the Doctor's hand and walked over to a table with glasses of water sitting on it. She picked one up and sat it on the ground. Not even a ripple formed. She tilted her head with scrunched eyebrows before placing it back on the table. She then walked back over to the Doctor and Amy.

"Is it... the bicycles? A bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles," Amy asked.

"Says the girl in the nightie," the Doctor smirked.

Kyla sniggered, "Oh, my god! I'm in my nightie!" Amy exclaimed.

"Now, come on, look around you. Actually, look," he instructed.

"There's no engine vibrations," Kyla informed.

The Doctor turned to her, "Yes... how did you know that?"

She walked over to a table again, "Excuse me," she picked up a glass from a couple having dinner and sat it on the floor, "See?"

The Doctor looked at it closely, "You figured that out faster than me..." he mumbled, he picked the glass back up and sat it on the table, "Sorry. Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish," he tapped the side of his nose, and the two rejoined Amy.

"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked.

"Don't know. I think a lot. It's hard to keep track," Kyla shrugged, "You know how my brain works."

"Now, police state - do you see it yet?" The Doctor asked.

"Where?" Amy asked.

The Doctor snapped and pointed, "There," he pointed to the little girl she was sitting alone on a bench crying. Everyone walked past, simply ignoring her. They all headed towards her as a man in a hood and amulet watched.

_Office, No one's POV,_

A phone rang and was answered by a person watching the Doctor, Amy, and Kyla on a monitor; he has grey-hair and wire-rimmed glasses.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

_London Market,_

The man in the hood stood in a phone booth on the other end of the phone call, "Saw it myself."

_Office,_

"Are you going to tell her?" The hooded man asked over the phone.

"We're under orders to tell her," the grey-haired man reminded.

_London Market,_

"Well done. Keep tabs on them," the grey-haired man instructed.

The hooded man hung up the phone.

_Office,_

The grey-haired man dialed the phone.

_Opulent Room,_

A woman sat alone, a red cloak laid around her. A simple white mask laid on the floor at her side. She answered the ringing phone.

"Sorry to interrupt. There's been a sighting. London block, Oxford Street. A man and woman," the grey-haired man informed over the phone.

"Did they do the thing?" She asked.

"Apparently, the girl did," he replied.

"I'll have a look on the monitors," she stated. She picked up her mask, stood, and walked past several water glasses along with a crystal chandelier.

_London Market, 3rd Person,_

The Doctor, Amy, and Kyla were sitting on a bench facing the little girl.

"One little girl crying. So?" Amy asked.

"Crying silently. I mean, children cry 'cos they want attention, 'cos they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cos they just can't stop. Any parent knows that," the Doctor explained.

"Are you a parent?" Amy asked.

The Doctor fidgeted slightly and didn't answer, "Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means... they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows - whatever they're afraid of - it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state," he continued to explain.

The little girl stood up as the lift bells rang. The figure in the nearby booth turned and watched her.

"Where'd she go?" Amy asked.

"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a colorful wallet, "this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her," he handed it to Kyla, "Took me four goes. Ask her about those things - the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere," he instructed.

"Okay, but why?" She asked.

"They're clean. Everything else here is battered and filthy - look at this place. But no-one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Ask Mandy, 'Why are people scared of the things in the booths?'" He instructed further.

"Okay, what are you two doing?" She asked.

"What I always do. Stay out of trouble," he stood up, "Badly, meet back here in half an hour," he ordered before hopping over the bench and walking away with Amy tailing behind.

"So this is how it works, Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets unless there's children crying?" Amy asked.

"Yes," he smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

_Dean Street, Kyla's POV, 3rd Person (kind of)_

"You're following me. Saw you watching me at the marketplace," Mandy informed as she popped out from behind a rubbish bin.

I jumped slightly, "You dropped this," I handed her the wallet back.

"Yeah, when your friend kept bumping into me," she retorted as she took her wallet.

I smiled slightly, "He's not the best at being discrete... Ooh! What's that?" I asked as I walked over to an area that was surrounded by barriers.

"There's a hole. We have to go back," Mandy answered.

"Hole? Hole in a spaceship, that's new..." I trailed off and walked closer to the boundaries.

"Are you stupid? There's a hold in the road. We can't go that way," Mandy exclaimed as I walked over to the gate, "There's a travel pipe down by the airlocks if you've got stamps. What are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh, don't mind me. Never can resist a 'keep out' sign. What's through there? What's so scary about a hole? Somethin' under the road?" I asked as I sat in front of the tent that was locked.

Mandy looked at the booth, "Nobody knows. We're not supposed to talk about it," she informed.

I turned around, "What don't you talk about?"

"Below."

"And because you're not supposed to, you don't? Watch and learn, kid," I pulled a hairpin out of my hair and started to pick the lock.

"You sound Scottish?" She pointed out.

"That's because I am; something wrong with that? Scottland got to be here somewhere," I stated.

"No. They have their own ship," she countered.

"Hmm. Good for them. Nothing changes," I hummed as I continued to pick the lock.

"So... how did you get here?" Mandy asked.

The figure in the booth spun to show an angry face.

"Oh, just passing through, with my sister, and you know, a guy," I answered.

"Your boyfriend?"

I blushed slightly and cleared my throat, "No, but that would be cool," I smiled slightly at the thought.

"So, you like him?" She asked.

I chuckled slightly, "Probably, not too good with... feelings."

"Why?"

I shrugged, "Not sure; I've been that way as long as I can remember. Oh! Results! Coming?" I asked as I got the lock opened.

"No!" She exclaimed.

"Right, suit yourself then," I started to go inside the tent.

Mandy saw the figure in the booth spin to show its third face.

"Stop! You mustn't do that!" She exclaimed.

I crawled inside the tent, it was dark, but red emergency lights were flashing. I looked around and found a torch lying on the ground; I picked it up and turned it on. The beam lit up a creature, rather part of a creature, it was coming from the hole in the ground, and it was swaying slightly.

"Oh, that's new," I gulped. Suddenly the creature tried to strike at me with some sort of stinger. I yelped and crawled out of the tent backward. I stopped crawling when I realized I was surrounded by hooded men, "Well, hello there," I greeted before getting sprayed with some sort of gas, making me fall unconscious.

_Voting Cubicle,_

I slowly woke up in a metal chair. I groaned and looked around. The first thing I saw was a Smiler in a booth, and four monitors were in front of me, "What the..." a voice cut me off.

"Welcome to voting cubicle 330C. Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it," a computerized voice explained.

I stood up slowly and looked around.

"The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know all its citizens," the voice continued.

I looked at the panel, and there were three large buttons reading, 'Protest,' 'Record,' and 'Forget.'

"A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll," the voice informed.

I sat back down in the chair and looked at the monitors.

"'Name - Kyla Elizabeth Pond.' 'Age - Unknown.'" The screen read.

"Marital status..." I straightened, "Unknown."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Wow, I've really done nothing with my life. Way to go, Kyla," I sighed and leaned back in the chair. On all four screens, a video started showing an older man as the presenter.

 _"You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship, and I am talking to you because you're entitled to know. When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may either protest...or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this. If just 1% of the population of this ship do likewise, the program will be discontinued, with consequences for you all. If you choose to accept the situation - and we hope that you will - then press the "forget" button. All the information I am about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of Starship UK, unburdened by the knowledge of what has been done to save you. Here, then, is the truth about Starship UK and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May God have mercy on our souls,"_ the video informed.

Images flashed across the screens, reflecting in Kyla's eyes.

I staggered back slightly and slammed my hand on the 'Forget' button. I wiped the tears off my cheeks, and a video message started playing.

 _"This isn't a trick. You've got to find the Doctor and get him back to the TARDIS. Don't let him investigate. Stop him. Do whatever you have to. Just please, please get the Doctor off this ship!"_ The TV me exclaimed.

The door to the room opened, letting light flood in. Mandy was waiting there. The message started replaying when the Doctor and Amy popped up in the doorway.

"Kyla?" He asked, and I quickly turned the recording off, "What have you done?"

"I-I don't remember," I shook my head as I tried to remember what just happened.

A moment later, the Doctor was on the metal chair scanning the lamp in the ceiling with his sonic screwdriver.

"Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes," he explained and then jumped off the chair.

"Why did I choose to forget?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"'Cos everyone does. Everyone chooses the 'forget' button," Mandy answered.

I uncrossed my arms, "Well, I'm not everyone. I stick out like a sore thumb half the time," I mumbled.

Amy chuckled before the Doctor gave her a look, "Did you?" He asked, looking towards Mandy.

"I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm 12. Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to see the film and your choice. And then, once every five years..." she explained.

"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned. Democracy in action," he headed back over to the monitors.

"How do you know about this? Are you Scottish too?" Mandy asked.

"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me," the Doctor informed.

"It played for me?" I questioned.

"The difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human," he remarked.

"Why not?" Amy asked, "You look human."

"No, you look, Time Lord. We came first," he retorted while waving his hands around.

"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy asked.

"Amy..." I whispered, nudging her slightly.

"No. There were, but there aren't... just me now—long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. 'Cos, this is what I do - every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government," the Doctor declared.

The Doctor pounded the 'Protest' button. The door slammed shut, leaving Mandy outside. The Smiler in the booth turned to show off its angry face. The Doctor pulled Amy and me into the corner of the room as the floor slid open.

"Say, 'Wheee!" He exclaimed.

"Oh my god, why did it have to be heights!" I yelled, clutching onto the Doctor's arm for dear life.

"Aaargh!" Both Amy and I shouted as we fell down the chute.


	7. Chapter 7

_Refuse Pile, Kyla's POV, 3rd Person (kind of),_

The Doctor fell out of the chute, Amy was close behind screaming the whole way, and I popped out next, but I landed face first into strange goo. The Doctor stood up and used his sonic screwdriver.

"High-speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel," the Doctor commented.

I lifted my face and gagged, "Where are we?" I groaned. I spit some of the goo out of my mouth.

"600 feet down, 20 miles laterally - puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say... Lancashire. What's this, then - a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave," he rambled.

I stood up and flung my arms down, throwing slime, "Eh! This place is disgusting!" I shouted in disgust.

"Yes, but only food refuse," he sniffed, "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship," he explained.

Amy got down on her hands and knees, "The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed."

"But feeding what, though?" The Doctor asked, ignoring Amy.

"It's sort of rubbery, feel it. Wet and slimy," Amy continued.

There was a distant moaning, making the Doctor stand up.

"Er... it's not a floor; it's a..." he put his screwdriver in his pocket, "So..."

Amy stood up and walked over to me, "It's what?" I asked.

"The next word is kind of scary word. Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place," he took both of our hands, "Go 'omm.'"

"Omm," Amy and I hummed.

"It's a tongue," he deadpanned.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed enthusiastically.

"A tongue?" Amy questioned as she tried to comprehend it.

"A tongue. A great big tongue," the Doctor exclaimed with the same amount of enthusiasm as me.

"This is a mouth? This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?!" Amy exclaimed, stunned.

"Yes, yes, yes, but on the plus side, roomy," I smiled as I swiveled my hips around.

"How do we get out?" Amy asked.

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver, "How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous! Blimey! If this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach," there was grunting, "Though not right now."

"Yeah, I'd like to see the outside of this beauty!" I gushed.

"Doctor, how do we get out?" Amy asked again.

"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is..." he looked around to see sharp teeth in a closed mouth, "Closed for business."

"We can try, though," Amy said with a 'duh' tone as she walked forward.

"No! Stop; don't move!" The mouth heaved in agitation, "Too late. It's started."

"What has?" I asked, turning towards him.

"Swallow reflex."

We all slipped and fell back into the refuse. The Doctor used his screwdriver on the mouth walls.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors," he informed.

"Chemo-what?" Amy asked.

"The eject button," I simplified with disgust.

"How does a mouth have an eject button?" She asked.

"Think about it!" The Doctor shouted.

A growl came from the creature, we were on our knees, and there was a massive wave of bile coming towards us.

"Right, then," he straightened his bow tie, "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!" He yelled.

Amy yelled, and there was just a lot of grunting and splashing.

_Overspill Pipe,_

The Doctor was examining the door, "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion, and yes, you are covered in sick," he quickly explained to Amy.

"Eh, this is so gross," I groaned.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Overspill pipe, at a guess."

Amy stood up, "Oh, god, it stinks."

"That's not the pipe," I grumbled as I walked towards the Doctor.

"Oh," she smelled herself, "Whoo! Can we get out?"

"One door, one door switch, one condition," he moved over and showed us the button on the door, "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot," the lights came on, revealing two Smilers, "Ooh, here's the stick. There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" The faces of the Smiler spun to their mad faces.

"Oh, please. That won't work on us, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" I asked, walking next to the Doctor.

The face of the Smiler switched to show anger.

"Oh, stop it. We're not leaving, and we're not forgetting, and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?" The Doctor asked mockingly.

The booths opened, and the two Smilers stood and walked towards us. We backed away.

"Doctor?" Amy asked worriedly.

A woman appeared behind them and shot the Smilers. She twirled her pistol before placing it back in its holster.

"Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask," the Doctor complimented.

"You must be Kyla. Liz. Liz 10," Liz introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," I smiled and shook her hand.

"Eurgh!" She wiped her hand on her cloak, "Lovely eyes, Kyla. Shame about the sick," she complimented before walking to the door, "You know Mandy, yeah?" She put her arm around Mandy's shoulder, "She's very brave."

"How did you find us?" The Doctor asked.

"Stuck my gizmo on you," she threw a device at him, "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?" Liz asked.

"You're over 16; you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it," I inquired.

"No. Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject," Liz explained.

"Then who and what are you, and how do you know us?" The Doctor asked, motioning to him and me.

"You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mystery strangers, MO consistent higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot..." the Doctor pointed a finger like he was about to argue but then ran his hand through his soaked hair, "I've been brought up on stories. My whole family was," Liz explained.

"Your family?" The Doctor asked.

"Um, I've done nothing with my life. How can there be stories?" I asked, confused.

One of the Smilers behind us began to move.

"They're repairing. Doesn't take them long. Let's move," and we finally left the overspill.

_Lower Corridors,_

"The Doctor and The Mother. An old drinking buddy of Henry XII and The Mother, well, she's more mysterious. But tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, wasn't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy!" She exclaimed.

I glanced at the Doctor with a pang of jealousy...? _What the heck is wrong with me?_

"Liz 10?" The Doctor asked.

A Smiler raised from a booth in the corridor.

"Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth X. And down!" She turned and fired both pistols at the Smilers," I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule."

Liz 10 took us down another corridor, which was the base of a vator shaft.

"There's a high-speed Vator through there," the Doctor looked into the caged area where there were two of the things I saw earlier," Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?"

"Doctor, I saw one of those up top. There was a hole in the road like it had burst through, kinda like a root," I explained.

"Exactly like a root. It's all one creature - the same one we were inside - reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship," the Doctor inquired.

"What? Like an infestation?" Liz asked.

"Someone's helping it. Feeding it," I pondered.

"Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. We've got to keep moving," she stormed off in anger, and Mandy followed her.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Oh, Amy, Kyla," he looked sympathetically at the creatures that were banging against the bar, "We should have never come here."

I looked down when I remembered my video message. I sighed and followed behind the Doctor and Amy.

"You all right?" Amy whispered.

I looked up at her, "Fine," I answered and walked faster to get ahead of her.

_Office,_

The grey-haired man watches the Doctor, Liz 10, Kyla, Amy, and Mandy on his monitor. He spoke into a microphone, "Winder division one. Ten has penetrated to the lower levels. Initiate the protocol."

_Liz 10's Room,_

The Doctor and Kyla walked carefully through the maze of glasses on the floor of Liz 10's room.

_"God save the Queen," The grey-haired man spoke to himself._

"What's with all the glasses?" I asked.

Liz sat on her bed, "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what."

The Doctor picked up her mask, "A Queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" He asked.

"Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this - my entire reign - and you've achieved more in one afternoon," she replied.

The Doctor started pacing the room, "How old were you when you came to the throne?"

"40. Why?" Liz questioned.

Amy started putting her hair up, "What, you're 50 now? No way!" She gushed.

Both Amy and Mandy were sitting on the chaise at the foot of Liz's bed while I leaned on the wall with my arms crossed.

"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps," Liz shrugged.

The Doctor plopped down on her bed, still holding her mask, "And you always wear this in public?" He asked, holding up the mask.

"Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting," Liz listed.

"Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on itself, 'cos it's perfectly sculpted to your face," I said as I took the mask from the Doctor and started examining it.

"Yeah. So what?" Liz asked. The Doctor stared at me.

"Oh, Liz. So everything," he mumbled while narrowing his eyes at me.

The door opened, and four hooded men entered.

"What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" Liz demanded.

"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK. You will come with us now," one of the men ordered.

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

The hooded man's head spun to show the face of an angry Smiler.

"How can they be Smilers?" I asked, walking back towards the Doctor.

"Half Smiler, half-human," the Doctor answered, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him.

"Whatever you creatures are, I am your Queen. On whose authority is this done?" Liz hissed as she got face to face with it.

"The highest authority, Ma'am," he answered.

"I AM the highest authority," she shouted.

"Yes, Ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am," he repeated.

"Where?"

"The Tower, Ma'am," he answered.

_Medival Room,_

We were escorted to a large stone room that had tons of high-tech machines. There was grating that we could see through to more creatures.

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked.

"The lowest point of Starship UK," he spun with his arms out, "The Dungeon."

"Ma'am," the grey-haired man greeted.

"Hawthorne! So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do," Liz snapped.

"There's children down here. What's that about?" I snapped, looking towards Hawthorne with crossed arms and an angry expression.

"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're lucky," he answered nonchalantly.

"Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?" The Doctor rhetorically asked while examining the equipment, "Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle."

The Doctor joined Liz's side by an open 'well' with a railing around it. Inside seemed to be something alive.

"What's that?" Liz asked.

I walked over to them and peered in.

"Well, like I say, depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain center of the big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly..." the Doctor trailed off.

"Or?" Liz asked expectantly.

"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator - Starship UK's go-faster button," I finished with disgust lacing my voice.

"I don't understand."

"Don't you? Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature - this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you; it's not invading - it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving," I sneered, taking an intimidating step towards Liz.

An electrical beam shot down into the creature's exposed brain.

"Tell you what," the Doctor moved to another well and lifted the grate, "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing," one of the extensions of the creature broke free, "This is the sound none of you wanted to hear," he raised his sonic screwdriver and used it to make the creature's call hearable.

The creature was letting out an ear-piercing scream-like call.

"Stop it," Liz shouted and turned to Hawthorne, "Who did this?"

"We act on instructions from the highest authority."

"I am the highest authority. The creature will be released now. I said now!" She demanded, but not a single person moved, "Is anyone listening to me?"

I looked down at Liz's mask, "Liz. Your mask."

"What about my mask?"

I tossed it to her, "Look at it. It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say," the Doctor estimated.

"Yeah, it's an antique, so?" she asked.

"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign," the Doctor explained.

"Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years," she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Ten years. And the same ten years over and over again," the Doctor took her hands, "Always leading you..." he showed her the voting area, "Here," the buttons read 'forget' and 'abdicate.'

She turned to Hawthorne, "What have you done?" She asked in a threatening tone.

"Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us," he answered and turned on the screen, and a recording of Liz 10 started.

 _"If you are watching this... if I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London," the real Liz sat down, "The creature you are looking at is called the Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart," all of us watched in silence, "The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rose on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the 'forget' button," Liz looked at the said button, "Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button," she looked at 'abdicate,' Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision,"_ the video ended.

"I voted for this?" I looked at the Doctor with a sad expression, "Why would I do that?!" I shouted in frustration as a few tears slipped.

"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know," the Doctor said in a warning tone.

"I don't remember doing it!"

"You did it. That's what counts," he snapped.

"I'm..." I balled my fists up and tightened my jaw, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home!" He barked and walked away.

"Why? Because I made a mistake?! One mistake? That I don't even remember doing. Doctor!" I shouted.

He was examining the instrument panels, "Yeah. I know. You're only human."

"What are you doing?" Liz asked.

"The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it," the Doctor explained in a very annoyed tone.

"It'll be like killing it," Amy stated.

"Look, three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds of more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, 'cos I won't be the Doctor anymore," he listed.

"There must be something we can do, some other way," Liz tried to reason.

"Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" He shouted.

I sat with Amy and Mandy against the wall and watched helplessly as the Doctor worked. Three children entered the room. I sighed and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"Going for a walk," I snapped and walked a few feet away.

I paced along the wall until I noticed Mandy talking to a young boy with a 'feeler' behind her. I stopped dead in my tracks and started to walk forward when I reached for her, but instead of hurting her, it gently tapped her on the shoulder, and that's when the cogs in my brain started turning.

_Memories,_

_"C'mon, use your eyes. Notice everything. Notice everything," the Doctor instructed._

_I remember seeing Mandy crying as she heard parts of Liz's explanation._

_"Our children screamed. It came, like a miracle," Liz 10 spoke._

_"It won't eat the children," Hawthorne stated._

_"Children screamed. Then it came. It's the last of its kind," Liz 10 explained._

_I remember the Doctor with Mandy, the feelers in the vator shaft, the glasses of water._

_"Just me now," the Doctor informed sadly._

_"Is this how it works, Doctor? Never interfere with other peoples or planets..." Amy asked._

_"Children screamed," Liz from the recording informed._

_I remember meeting the Doctor as a child._

_"...Unless it's children crying," Amy finished._

_"The last of its kind," Liz 10 continued._

_"Just me now," the Doctor repeated._

_"Loneliness is a valid reason..."_

_"Unless there's children crying," Amy stated._

_"Yes," the Doctor smiled._

_"It won't eat children," Hawthorne informed._

_I remember the children playing when we arrived._

_"Then it came. Like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales..."_

I looked up with a wide smile; I ran across the room back over to where the Doctor was.

"Doctor, stop! Stop now!" I shouted and grabbed Liz's wrist, "I'm going to need your hand," I smiled and pulled her over to the buttons.

"Kyla, no! No!" The Doctor yelled as he ran over.

I pushed Liz's hand onto the 'abdicate' button. The whale bellowed, and the whole ship shook, causing havoc on every level.

"Kyla, what have you done?" The Doctor asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing. Am I right?" I asked, looking towards Hawthorne.

"We've increased speed," he confirmed.

"Well, no, duh! You've stopped torturing the pilot. Gotta help," I smiled proudly.

"It's still here? I don't understand," Liz stated, confused.

"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle. It volunteered. You never had to trap it or torture it - that was all you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old and really kind and alone?" I glanced over at the Doctor before continuing, "Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind..." I turned and faced the Doctor with my head held high, "You couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."

 _Observation Deck_ ,

The Doctor was standing alone, looking out onto the starship. I walked over to him.

"From Her Majesty," I smiled and held her mask out, "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK."

"Kyla, you could have killed everyone on this ship," he sighed.

"And you could have killed a Star Whale."

He turned to face me, "And you saved it. I know, I know."

I laughed, "Don't you think it's amazing? The Star Whale. Even after all the pain and misery... and loneliness," I looked down at the ground and then looked him in the eye again, "It remained just as kind."

"But you couldn't have known how it would react," he countered.

"You," I smiled and poked his chest, "couldn't. But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound familiar?" I asked with a smirk.

"What?"

"Gotcha."

"Ha! Gotcha," he smiled kissed my forehead before running away.

I blushed a bright red and started stuttering, "D-Doctor!" I shouted and chased after him.

_London Market,_

We all headed back to the TARDIS.

"Shouldn't we say goodbye? Won't they wonder where we went?" Amy asked.

"For the rest of their lives. Oh, the songs they'll write! Never mind them. Big day tomorrow," he exclaimed.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked, confused.

"It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones," he stated and unlocked the TARDIS.

"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning... Have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just... Just because you could?" She asked.

"Twice... a long time ago," he sighed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Hello!" He exclaimed.

A phone started ringing.

"Right. Doctor, there's something I haven't told you. No. Hang on, is that a phone ringing?" Amy asked, looking around confused.

We all walked into the TARDIS.

_Tardis,_

"People can phone you?" I asked, walking next to the Doctor.

"Well, it's a phone box. Would you mind?" He asked as he started pressing buttons.

I sighed and picked up the phone, "Hello? Sorry, who? No, seriously. Who?" I put the phone to my shoulder, "Say's he's the Prime Minister. First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about. Don't you?"

"Which Prime Minister?" He asked and motioned to a lever.

I pulled it down, "Which Prime Minister?" I looked up, "The British one."

"Which British one?" He asked in a 'duh' tone.

"Which British one?" My eyes widened, and I passed the phone over to the Doctor, "Winston Churchill for you..." I trailed off before starting to jump around in excitement.

"Oh! Hello, dear. What's up?" The Doctor asked with a broad smile.

_Winston Churchill's Office,_

"Tricky situation, Doctor. Potentially very dangerous," a shadow on the wall revealed a Dalek, "I think I'm going to need you."

 _"Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister,"_ the Doctor assured over the phone.

_Tardis,_

The Doctor hung up the phone and ran around the console, flipping levers and switches, "We're on our way," he smirked as the TARDIS dematerialized.

"We're gonna meet Winston Churchill!" I cheered, running around the console making Amy and the Doctor laugh.

_"In bed above, we're deep asleep. While greater love lies further deep, this dream must end. This world must know. We all depend on the beast below."_


	8. The Wardrobe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be random in-between parts, that will help advance my plot and or relationships, but this one was just for fun 😉

The Doctor just got a call from THE Winston Churchill! And I'm still in my jammies.

"Doctor?" I called, walking out of one of the corridors.

"Ah, Kyla! What can I do for you?" He asked with a crooked grin.

I clasped my hands behind my back, "You said there was a wardrobe, and I was wondering if I could use it since, you know, we're about to meet Winston Churchill," I smiled with a small chuckle.

He laughed, "Of course you can use it! Follow me," he grabbed my hand and pulled me down many corridors.

We stopped in front of a door.

"And here we are!" He cheered.

I glanced at the door, "So... are you going to open it?"

"Oh right!" He snapped his fingers and opened the door.

I slowly walked in and gawked at the multiple floors of clothes with a spiral staircase connecting them all.

"This is all yours?" I asked, turning towards him.

He had a massive smile, "Yep! Feel free to take anything you like!"

I laughed and grabbed his hand; I pulled him to the highest floor, "You get to help me!"

We both ran around for ages laughing and goofing off.

I laughed as I placed a top hat on his head, "You look ridiculous."

He smiled, "I look cool. Top hats are cool."

I shook my head, "Nah, now bow ties on the other hand. Those are cool."

He threw his hands in the air, "I know! Finally, someone likes them!"

I laughed, "Okay, okay, I need clothes."

He nodded, "Oh right... I'll leave you to it then!" He started walking down the stairs and was out of eyesight for about five seconds before he ran back up, "Forgot to mention, all of the clothes the TARDIS thinks you'll like will be on floor 5."

I nodded, "Okay, thank you, Doctor!" I called as I noticed he was already out of eyesight again.

"No problem!" He called back.

I smiled and started scanning through the racks of clothing. After a while of searching, I gave up and went to floor 5.

"Alright, you beautiful machine, show me something good," I begged as I walked down the last step.

As soon as my foot hit the floor, I was stunned to see multiple rows of t-shirts, shorts, dresses, and jeans. The TARDIS made a loud hum.

I laughed and put my hands on my head, "Oh, you really are sexy."

The TARDIS hummed in approval. I smiled and ran over to the shirts.

After a while of searching, I found the perfect outfit!

**(Everything except the sunglasses and bag** 😉 **)**

I slipped on the outfit and left the wardrobe, heading towards the console room.

"Ah! I see you found an outfit!" The Doctor exclaimed, waving his hands around.

"I sure did! Now, let's go meet the Prime Minister!" I laughed, putting my hands in my pockets.

"Hold on a second! I still have to get out of my nightie!" Amy exclaimed.

"Then go get changed!" I shouted in a 'duh' tone.

She laughed and ran the way I just came from. I shook my head and turned towards the Doctor.

"Thanks for letting me use your closet," I smiled.

He chuckled, "Well, I couldn't let you meet Winston in your jammies."

I laughed with a shrug, "Good point," I flopped down on one of the jumpseats.

A while later, Amy came back, and we were off to meet Winston Churchill!


	9. Chapter 8

_Cabinet War Room, Map Room, No One's POV,_

A siren blared. In the smokey room, men and women in RAF uniforms are operating the phones and radio headsets as they keep track of an ongoing battle.

"Can't we shut that ruddy thing up?" A male officer exclaimed.

"If wishes were kisses... Hostile 36, confirm," a woman spoke into a headset.

"Able Victor Charlie down," the same male officer ordered.

"26 and 41 detailed to intercept," another woman informed, running into the room.

"41?" The other woman removed her headset, "That's... that's Reg's squadron," she stuttered.

The other woman sent her a sympathetic look before Winston Churchill entered the room, getting everyone's attention.

"Sir," the other female officer greeted, turning to him.

"How many?" He asked after taking a puff of his cigar.

"Looks like a dozen Heinkel at least, sir. With Messerschmidts flanking," the male officer replied.

"Out of range?" Churchill asked.

"Normally, sir, yes," the first woman answered.

He puffed his cigar and walked farther into the room, "Well, then. Time to roll out the secret weapon!" He ordered with a small smirk.

The first woman nodded, and with a long stick, she pushed the figure of a Dalek across the map in front of them.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Storage Room,_

The TARDIS materialized in the storage room of the bunker. The Doctor opened the TARDIS door poking his head out, and was greeted with soldiers pointing guns at him. The soldiers parted so that Churchill could get through.

The Doctor walked out cautiously before calling back into the TARDIS, "Amy, Kyla," he held his arm out towards Churchill, "Winston Churchill."

Amy walked out nervously, while I suddenly got nervous and just poked my head out.

"Doctor? Is it you?" Winston asked with a smug face.

Amy and I stared at Winston in amazement.

"Oh, Winston, my old friend!" The Doctor went to shake Winston's hand, but he motioned with his hand that he wanted something, "Ah, every time!"

"What's he after?" Amy asked with a smile.

"TARDIS key, of course," the Doctor replied.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor! The lives that could be saved!" Winston exclaimed.

"Ah, doesn't work like that," the Doctor went to close the TARDIS door but laughed when he saw I was still standing in the doorway, "Oh, come on, Kyla! Don't be shy!" He chuckled and pulled me out of the TARDIS.

"Must I take it by force?" Winston threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," the Doctor smiled, turning towards Winston again.

"At ease," Winston ordered, and the soldiers lowered their rifles.

"You rang?" The Doctor smirked.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Corridor,_

We all strode down the corridor as an air raid was happening above us.

"So you've changed your face, again," Winston pointed out.

"Yeah, well, had a bit of work done," the Doctor replied while tapping his face.

"Got it, got it, got it! Cabinet War Rooms, right?" Amy inquired with excitement.

"Yup. The top-secret heart of the War Office, right under London!" I confirmed with a broad grin.

"Ha! She knows a thing or two! And you're late, by the way," Winston informed.

A woman ran over, handing Winston a clipboard and pen, "Requisitions, sir."

Winston passed the Doctor his cane, "Excellent."

The Doctor was checking his watch, "Late?" he questioned in disbelief.

"I rang you a month ago," Winston stated as he signed the papers.

"Really? Sorry. Sorry, it's a Type 40 TARDIS. I'm just running her in," the Doctor apologized while adding a lame excuse.

"Sure, Doctor. Blame the machine," I smirked when he gawked at me.

Winston handed the clipboard back to the woman, "Something the matter, Breen? You look a little down in the dumps," Winston observed as we stopped.

She hugged the clipboard, "No, sir. Fine, sir."

"Action this day, Breen! Action this day!" He exclaimed while gesturing with the pen.

"Yes, sir," she nodded and gave him a forced smile, and glanced at me. I sent her a warm smile before she left.

"Excuse me, sir, got another formation coming in, Prime Minister. Stukas, by the look of them," an officer informed as he rushed over.

"We shall go up top then, Group Captain! We'll give 'em what for! Coming, Doctor?" Winston asked, turning to him.

Amy had a closed-mouthed smile going, and she moved around excitedly.

"Why?" The Doctor questioned.

Winston snatched his cane back, "I have something to show you."

The Doctor mouthed 'Oooh' to us, and we both giggled before following him.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Lift,_

Winston started the lift and puffed on his cigar. The Doctor waved the smoke away while Amy and I stood in the back. I coughed slightly, which earned me an elbow to the ribs.

"Ow!" I mouthed to Amy while rubbing my side.

She smiled innocently as Winston started talking, "We stand at a crossroads, Doctor. Quite alone, without backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

"Such as?" The Doctor asked as he glanced back at us.

The lift stopped, and Winston opened the gates, "Follow me," he instructed.

_New Public Offices, Rooftop, Day,_

The roof was covered in sandbags, and among them, a man in a white lab coat was watching the sky with binoculars.

"Wow!" Amy gawked as we walked out onto the roof.

"Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell, head of our Ironsides Project," Winston introduced as we walked closer to him.

The Doctor held up his hand with a 'V for Victory.'

"How d'you do?" He greeted with a wave before looking through the binoculars again.

A formation of German planes was approaching. The Doctor, Amy, and I walked towards the edge and looked out over London and its barrage balloons as the bombs dropped.

"Oh, Doctor... Doctor, it's..." Amy stuttered.

"History," I finished. The Doctor nodded with a serious expression.

"Ready, Bracewell?" Winston asked loudly.

"Aye-aye, sir," he gave a thumbs up, "On my order! Fire!" He shouted.

From behind the sandbags, lasers fired at the German planes destroying them.

"What was that?" Amy questioned.

"That's too advanced," I stated as I walked forward slightly.

"That wasn't human, that was never human technology. That sounded like..." the Doctor trailed off before storming over to where Bracewell was, "Show me! Show me what that was!" He climbed up the ladder and stood next to Bracewell.

"Advance!" Bracewell ordered.

"Our new secret weapon!" Winston exclaimed.

A Dalek rolled out from behind the sandbags painted in Army khaki, a utility belt around it, a small Union Flag under the eyestalk, and the lights on the top of the dome were covered. The Doctor watched, horrified.

"What do you think? Quite something, eh?" Winston called up from the roof.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor asked, looking into its eye thing.

"I am your soldier," it replied.

"What?"

"I am your soldier," it repeated.

"Stop this. Stop now! You know who I am, you always know," the Doctor stated.

"Your identity is unknown," it informed.

The Doctor turned away from it, "Perhaps I can clarify things here. This is one of my Ironsides," Bracewell explained.

"Your what?" The Doctor asked, turning to look at Bracewell.

"You will help the Allied cause in any way that you can?" Bracewell questioned towards the Ironside.

"Yes," it answered.

I leaned over to Amy, "That thing is creepy," I whispered.

She shrugged, "Not that bad."

I nodded, "Looks-wise, no. But the way the Doctor is acting, I don't think it's good," I clarified.

She nodded, and I turned back into the conversation, "And what is your ultimate aim?" Bracewell asked.

"To win the war!" The Ironside shouted.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill's Office,_

The Doctor was looking at the diagrams and blueprints that clearly show a Dalek.

"They're Daleks! They're called Daleks!" He exclaimed at Winston.

"They are Bracewell's Ironsides, Doctor! Look! Blueprints, statistics, field-tests, photographs. He invented them!" Winston countered as he pointed to each item.

I was leaned against a filing cabinet, watching them go back and forth.

"Invented them? Oh, no, no, no!" The Doctor firmly argued.

"Yes! He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fella's a genius," Winston shot back.

"A Scottish genius, too. Maybe you should listen to..." Amy started until the Doctor shushed her.

"Shh! He didn't invent them! They're alien," the Doctor repeated.

"Alien?" Winston asked disbelievingly.

A Dalek glided by the open doorway, and the Doctor noticed. The Dalek viewed the action before continuing.

"And totally hostile," the Doctor finished.

"Precisely. They will win me the war!" He flipped over a blueprint to reveal a propaganda poster with a giant Dalek.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Corridor,_

"Why won't you listen? Why call me in if you won't listen to me?!" The Doctor questioned angrily.

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit, I had my doubts. The Ironsides seemed too good to be true," Winston admitted.

"Yes! Right! So destroy them! Exterminate them!" The Doctor snapped.

"But imagine what I could do with a hundred! A thousand!" Winston countered.

"I am imagining," a courier Dalek glided past us, and the Doctor watched it the whole way, "Kyla, tell him."

I looked at him confused, "I want to be following you, but what am I telling him?"

"About the Daleks!" He exclaimed.

"What would I know about them?" I asked, throwing my hands up.

"Everything. They invaded your world, remember? Planets in the sky, you don't forget that! Kyla, tell me you remember the Daleks," he pleaded, looking me dead in the eye.

I pursed my lips as I thought for a moment, but I shook my head, "I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"That's not possible," he mumbled before going into the map room.

I followed after him.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

Women were operating the radios and moving figures on the map as needed.

"And 6... 2357, over! 2357, over!" A woman officer ordered.

A Dalek glided past us as we entered the room.

"So they're up to something, but what is it? What are they after?" The Doctor questioned while glancing at me then the Daleks.

"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" Amy suggested and walked over to the Dalek.

"Amy... Amelia!" He exclaimed as she walked over to the Dalek and tapped it.

I sighed and leaned on him as he leaned against a pole. He looked down at me, "Can I help you?"

I laughed, "Sorry," I straightened and held my hands behind my back, "She'll be fine."

"I'm not worried."

I rolled my eyes, "Really? Cause to me, it seems like your worried," I sarcastically remarked.

He huffed and flicked my nose, making me chuckle.

"Can I be of assistance?" The Dalek asked after it was facing Amy.

"Oh. Yes. Yes! See, my friend reckons you're dangerous that you're an alien. Is that true?" She asked. The Doctor had his hand up to his mouth as he watched the Dalek closely.

"I am your soldier," it replied.

"Yeah. Got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else, though?" She questioned further while crossing her arms.

"Please excuse me. I have duties to perform," it excused and turned away.

The Doctor rubbed his forehead before walking over to Winston and plucked the cigar from his mouth. "Winston, Winston, please," he pleaded.

"We are waging total war, Doctor! Day after day, the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist," Winston reasoned.

"Wait till the Daleks get started," the Doctor stated while looking around the room.

"Men, women, and children slaughtered. Families torn apart. Wren's churches in flames," Winston continued.

"Yeah? Try the Earth in flames!"

"I weep for my country. I weep for my empire. It is breaking my heart," Winston stated as he walked around the table.

The Doctor placed a hand on Winston's shoulder as he gestured with the other, "But you're resisting, Winston! The whole world knows you're resisting! You're a beacon of hope."

Winston was signing more papers, "But for how long? Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now!" They walked around the table.

"Can I be of assistance?" A Dalek asked, going in front of them.

"Shut it!" The Doctor whisper-yelled at the Dalek, "Listen to me. Just listen! The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You cannot trust them!" He insisted in a hushed tone.

"If Hitler invaded hell, I would give a favorable reference to the Devil! These machines are our salvation!" A siren sounded, "Oh, the all-clear. We are safe. For now," Winston replied and left.

The Doctor stared at the Dalek before it turned and left. I walked up to the Doctor and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's the all-clear. Are you okay?" I asked softly.

He was twisting an officer's hat in his hands. "What does hate look like, Kyla?"

"Hate?"

"It looks like a Dalek. And I'm going to prove it," he went to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

"I know this probably doesn't matter, but I believe you," I said softly and let go of his arm. He looked at me for a moment before nodding and running off.


	10. Chapter 9

_Cabinet War Rooms, Bracewell's Lab, No-one's POV,_

Bracewell was working at his desk with a few technicians working nearby. A Dalek rolled up to him.

"Would you care for some tea?" It asked.

"That would be very nice. Thank you," Bracewell thanked before turning back to his work.

We all walked into the lab, and the Doctor and I started examining everything.

"All right, Prof! The PM's been filling me in. Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. Amazing. You must be very proud of them," the Doctor exclaimed as he swung his arm around that had a spanner in it.

"Just doing my bit," Bracewell stated.

I picked up the spanner the Doctor sat down, "Not bad for a Paisley boy," I complimented, turning towards Bracewell.

The Doctor picked up a file and flopped down into a chair, and started reading it.

"Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear," he smiled, turning towards me.

"How did you do it? Come up with the idea?" I asked.

"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?" He asked.

The Doctor tossed the file onto the desk, "But you get a lot of clever notions, do you?"

"Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head! Wonderful things! Like... let me show you," he walked over to a desk and showed me a file, "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that could sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere! Came to me in the bath!" He gushed.

The Doctor walked over and took the file from him, "And are these your ideas or theirs?" He asked.

"No, no, no, no. These robots are entirely under my control, Doctor. They are..." a Dalek came over to him with his tea, "Thank you... the perfect servant, and the perfect warrior," Bracewell explained.

"I don't know what you're up to, Professor, but whatever they've promised, you cannot trust them! Call them what you like. The Daleks are death!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, Doctor," Winston came from around the corner, "Death to our enemies! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

"Yes, Winston, and death to everyone else too!" The Doctor shouted, turning to face him.

"Would you care for some tea?" A Dalek asked.

The Doctor hit the tray the Dalek was holding, sending it flying making us all jump.

"Stop this! What are you doing here? What do you want?" The Doctor hissed.

"We seek only to help you," it replied.

"To do what?"

"To win the war," it answered.

"Really? Which war?" I asked, stepping forward finally catching on.

"I do not understand," it replied.

"The war against the Nazis? Or your war? The war against the rest of the Universe? The war against all life-forms that are not Dalek?" The Doctor question rapidly.

"I do not understand. I am your soldier," it insisted.

"Oh, year? Okay," the Doctor turned and picked up a giant spanner, "Okay, soldier, defend yourself!" He yelled and started hitting it.

"Doctor, what the devil...?!" Bracewell exclaimed.

"You do not require tea?" It asked.

The Doctor kept hitting it, "Stop it! Prime Minister, please!" Bracewell pleaded.

"Doctor, please, these machines are precious," Winston stated.

"Come on! Fight back! You want to, don't you? You know you do!" The Doctor shouted.

"I must protest!" Bracewell continued to beg.

"What are you waiting for? You hate me. You want to kill me. Well, go on! Kill me. Kill me!" The Doctor shouted as he hit it again.

I ran forward and pushed him back, "Doctor, calm down!"

"Please desist from striking me. I am your soldier," it begged.

"You are my enemy!" He shouted as he hit it with every word. "And I am yours! You are everything I despise! The worst thing in all creation. I've defeated you time and time again; I've defeated you. I sent you back into the void! I saved the whole reality from you! I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!" He kicked it, making it roll backward.

"Correct. Review testimony," it stated.

 _"I am the Doctor. And you are the Daleks!"_ The Dalek playback stated.

"Testimony? What are you talking about, testimony?" The real Doctor asked.

The Dalek looked to another, "Transmitting testimony now."

"Transmit what, where?" The Doctor asked.

"Testimony accepted!" The second Dalek exclaimed.

"Get back! All of you!" The Doctor shouted. He put his arm out and pushed Amy and me behind him.

"Marines! Marines! Get in here!" Winston ordered.

Two Marines entered, and one of the Daleks killed them. I gasped and leaned into the Doctor more, to say the least, this is TERRIFYING!

"Stop it! Stop it, please! What are you doing? You are my Ironsides!" Bracewell questioned.

"We are the Daleks!" The first Dalek stated.

"But I created you!" Bracewell exclaimed, waving his arms up and down.

"No," it shot his hand off, revealing a stump of wires and circuits, "We created you!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!" The Daleks chanted and teleported away.

"What just happened, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"I wanted to know what they wanted, what their plan was. I was their plan!" He exclaimed and ran out of the room.

"Doctor!" I shouted and ran after him.

"Hey!" Amy yelled before running after me.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Storage Room,_

The Doctor and I ran into the room the TARDIS is in, and he hopped down the stairs heading towards the TARDIS.

"'Testimony accepted!' That's what they said! My testimony," he explained rather loud and unlocked the TARDIS.

Amy followed close behind us. "Don't beat yourself up. You were right. What do we do? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?" She asked.

"This is what I do. It's dangerous, so wait here," he instructed.

I scoffed, "In your dreams, I'm not letting you go up there by yourself."

"It's safer down here, and I don't need a babysitter," he rolled his eyes.

I sighed, "So, you want us to stay here, in the middle of the London Blitz?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Safe as it gets around me," he waved and stepped into the TARDIS.

We watched as it dematerialized.

"What are we supposed to do now?" I asked, looking towards Amy.

"KBO, of course," Winston said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Keep buggering on!" He exclaimed.

_Tardis,_

The Doctor started switching levers and buttons, the TARDIS dematerialized, and he started trying to lock onto something.

"Bingo!" He cheered, looking at the monitor.

An image of a spaceship showed up.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Storage Room,_

Breen entered the room with a communiqué, "Prime Minister."

"Yes?" Winston asked, turning to her.

She hands him the paper, "Signal from RDF, sir, Unidentified object. Hanging in the sky, Captain Childers says. We can't get a proper fix, though. It's too far up," she informed.

"What do you think, Miss Pond? The Doctor's in trouble, and now we know where he is," Winston asked, turning to me.

"Yeah. 'Cos he'll be on that ship, won't he?" Amy rhetorically asked.

"Right in the middle of everything," I smirked and crossed my arms.

"Exactly!" Winston exclaimed.


	11. Chapter 10

_New Public Offices, Rooftop, Night,_

An Air Raid Warden is watching from the rooftop as more bombs fall. Someone violates the blackout.

"Oi! Put that light out!" He shouted, and the light switched off.

_Dalek Spaceship,_

The three Daleks watch as the Progenitor device continues to run its programmed course.

"The final phase commences, channel all reserve power to Progenitor," the first Dalek instructed.

The TARDIS materialized, and the three Daleks swiveled their top sections to see the Doctor emerge.

"How about a cuppa now, then?" The Doctor asked while rubbing his hands.

"It is the Doctor! Exterminate!" The gold Dalek exclaimed.

"Wait, wait, wait. I wouldn't if I were you!" The Doctor exclaimed and held up a Jammy Dodger, "TARDIS self-destruct. And you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it," he informed.

"You would not use such a device," the second Dalek stated.

"Try me," the first Dalek moved forward, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. No scans! One move, and I'll destroy us all; you got that? TARDIS bang-bang, Daleks boom!" The first Dalek moved back, "Good boy," he walked around the Daleks' instrument panels, "This ship's pretty beaten up - running on empty, I'd say, like you. When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished," the Doctor reminded while walking back towards them.

"One ship survived," the second Dalek informed.

"And you fell back through time, yes? Crippled? Dying?" The Doctor questioned.

"We picked up a trace. One of the Progenitor devices," the second Dalek explained.

"Progenitor? What's that when it's at home?" He asked.

"It is our past. And our future," the second Dalek replied.

"Ohhh, that's deep. This is deep for a Dalek. What does it mean, though?" He questioned, clasping his hands together.

"It contains pure Dalek DNA; thousands were created, all were lost, save one," the third Dalek answered.

"Okay, but there's still one thing I don't get, though - if you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?"

"It was... necessary," Dalek two hesitantly replied.

"But why? I get it. Oh, I get it! Oh, ho, this is rich! The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you, would it? It saw you as impure, and the DNA is unrecognizable as Dalek," the Doctor smugly exclaimed.

"A solution was devised," the second Dalek informed.

"Yes, yes, yes. Me. My testimony. So you set a trap, you knew that the Progenitor would recognize me. The Daleks' greatest enemy! It would accept my word. My recognition of you," Dalek two moved to the instrument panel behind it, "No, no, no. What are you doing?" The Doctor urgently questioned as he stopped pacing and held out the Jammy Dodger again.

"Withdraw now, Doctor, or the city dies in flames," Dalek three threatened.

"Who are you kidding? This ship is a wreck; you don't have the power to destroy London," the Doctor stated.

"Watch as the humans destroy themselves," Dalek two stated.

The Doctor's eyes widened.

_Space,_

The Dalek ship lowered a dish which collected and sent a stream of energy towards London.

_New Public Offices, Rooftop,_

The Warden watched, stunned, as lights came on all over the city.

"What...? No!" He exclaimed.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

One of the officers tried to turn the lights off.

"The generators won't switch off! The lights are on all across London, Prime Minister!" The officer exclaimed, rushing to a desk.

"Has to be them. Has to be the Daleks," I stated with a hand on my chin as I stood next to Winston in front of the map with Amy next to me.

"The Germans can see every inch of the city. We're sitting ducks. Get those lights out before the Germans get here!" Winston ordered, the officer quickly left to check the generators.

"Confirm, Squadron 244 and 56 mobilized," a woman spoke into a radio.

"Emergency, emergency, 109? 109. Confirm?" Breen called into another radio.

"Thousands will die if we don't get those lights out now," Winston informed with worry.

"German bombers sighted over the Channel, sir. ETA 10 minutes, sir," Breen informed.

"Here they come. Get a message to Mr. Attlee. War Cabinet meeting at 0300 - if we're all still here," Winston ordered grimly.

"We can't just sit here! We've got to take the fight to the Daleks!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up.

"How? None of our weapons are a match for theirs."

"Oh, we have something. Staring at us right in the face! A gift from the Daleks themselves!" I cheered with a wide grin.

_Dalek Spaceship,_

"Turn those lights off now. Turn London off, or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct!" The Doctor threatened before putting his arm down that held the Jammy Dodger.

"Stalemate, Doctor. Leave us, and return to Earth," the second Dalek ordered.

"Oh, that's it? That's your great victory? You leave?"

"Extinction is not an option. We shall return to our own time and begin again," the second Dalek explained.

"No, no, no! I won't let you get away this time! I won't!" He exclaimed before a thrumming sound echoed through the room.

"We have succeeded - DNA reconstruction is complete," the third Dalek informed in victory.

The Daleks glided back from the cubicle, which was enveloped in red energy. The doors slid open, emitting sparks.

"Observe, Doctor, a new Dalek paradigm!" The second Dalek cheered.

The Doctor watched as new, larger Daleks emerged from the smoke and steam-filled room; each was a different color. The first one to come out was white, blue, orange, yellow, and finally red.

"The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny. Behold, the restoration of the Daleks! The resurrection of the master race!" Dalek two exclaimed as the lights flickered.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Bracewell's Lab,_

Me, Winston, and Amy walked into Bracewell's lab, and he was holding a revolver in his remaining hand, and he was about to place it to his head.

"Bracewell! Put that gun down!" Winston ordered.

"My life is a lie, and I choose to end it," Bracewell admitted as he stared at the revolver in his hand.

"In your own time, because right now we need your help," I softly smiled as I walked over to him.

"But those creatures... my Ironsides... they made me? I-I can remember things, so many things, the last war - The squalor and the mud and the awful misery of it all. What am I? What am I?" He asked pleadingly.

I gave him a sympathetic look and went to talk before Winston bet me to it, "What you are, sir, is either on our side or theirs. Now, I don't care if you're a machine, Bracewell. Are you a man?" He asked.

I sighed, "You're not helping," I sent a quick glare to Winston, "But Edwin, I understand. I do," I gingerly took the gun from him, "But, there is a spaceship up there making London look like a Christmas tree. Thousands of people will die tonight if we don't stop it, and you and I are the only ones who can help them," I smiled.

"I am?" He skeptically asked.

"You're alien technology! You're just as clever as the Daleks, so start thinking with that big brain of yours!" I exclaimed.

"What about rockets? You got rockets? 'Cos you said gravity whatsits, hypersonic flight, some kind of missile," Amy added.

"This isn't a fireworks party, Miss Pond! We need proper tactical. A missile, or...?" Winston trailed off as an idea came to him.

"Or what?" Amy asked.

"We could send something up there, you say?" Winston asked, leaning forward.

"With a gravity bubble, yes," Bracewell confirmed and showed Winston the blueprints, "Theoretically, it's possible we could actually send something into space."

"Bracewell..." I turned him to look at me, "It's time to think big!" I smirked.

_Dalek Spaceship,_

"All hail the new Daleks! All hail the new Daleks!" The old Daleks chanted.

"Yes, you are inferior!" The White Dalek exclaimed.

"Yes," the first Dalek confirmed.

"Then prepare," the White Dalek stated.

"We are ready!" All three Daleks exclaimed in unison.

"Cleanse the unclean! Total obliteration! Disintegrate!" The White Dalek ordered.

The Blue Dalek fired at Daleks one and three, while the Red Dalek shot Dalek two.

"Blimey, what do you do to the ones who mess up?" The Doctor asked sarcastically.

The White Dalek advanced at the Doctor, "You are the Doctor! You must be exterminated!"

The Doctor jumped back some and pulled out the TARDIS 'self-destruct,' "Don't mess with me, sweetheart!" He exclaimed, putting the Jammy Dodger out in front of the Dalek.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

Breen and others were on their radio headphones, maneuvering representations of flying squadrons. Dust fell from the ceiling from the city above us, getting bombed.

Bracewell and I pushed an office chair into the room with a device on it, and he had the headset on that we just constructed.

"At last! Are they ready?" Winston urgently asked.

"We hope so. But in the meantime..." I helped him place the device onto the desk, which was a screen with control knobs.

"This will pick up Dalek transmissions," I informed as I turned it on and banged the side of it until the picture showed up. I turned to Amy with a smirk, "I guess getting those bachelor's degrees in astronomy and mechanical engineering finally came in handy."

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, you're helping save the world; I guess it was worth the money," she admitted with a smile.

I chuckled and turned to the screen that now showed the Doctor and a Dalek.

 ** _"We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race,"_** the Dalek spoke over the receiver.

"Ha! It works!" I cheered and hugged Bracewell.

"It's him! It's the Doctor! Kyla, you did it!" Amy exclaimed, giving me a side hug.

 ** _"Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, and the Supreme,"_** the Dalek listed.

 ** _"Which would be you, I'm guessing? Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you. Pretty 'Supre-eme',"_** the Doctor stated while motioning up and down.

"He's got company. New company. We've got to hurry up!" Amy exclaimed, looking towards Winston.

A phone rang, and Bracewell answered it.

"Yes? Right, right, thanks!" He cheered and hung up the phone, "Ready when you are Prime Minister," he informed.

"Splendid!" Winston exclaimed.

A ship appeared on the screen, "Spcaeship's exact co-ordinates located!" Bracewell informed.

"Go to it, Group Captain! Go to it!" Winston ordered.

The Group Captain went over to a headset, "Broadsword to Danny Boy! Broadsword to Danny Boy! Scramble! Scramble! Scramble!" He ordered.

_Dalek Spaceship,_

"Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine, or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity,"the Doctor threatened while holding a finger up.

A Dalek scanned him.

"And yourself,"the Dalek reminded.

"Occupational hazard,"the Doctor replied while staring directly down the Dalek's eye stock.

"Scan reveals nothing! TARDIS self-destruct device non-existent!"Another Dalek informed.

"All right,"he bit into a jelly dodger, "It's a Jammy Dodger, but I was promised tea!"He exclaimed with his mouth full and waved his hand around.

A siren sounded.

"Alert! Unidentified projectile approaching!" The Doctor walked over to the scanner behind him, "Correction. Multiple projectiles!"

"What have the humans done?"The main Dalek asked.

"I don't know,"the Doctor replied cluelessly.

"Explain! Explain! Explain!"The main Dalek repeatedly demanded.

 ** _"Danny Boy to the Doctor! Danny Boy to the Doctor! Are you receiving me? Over,"_** Danny Boy came over the radio.

The Doctor pushed himself off the scanner and walked back into the middle of the room, "Oh, Winston! You beauty!"The Doctor shouted.

 ** _"Danny Boy to the Doctor! Come in. Over,"_** Danny Boy repeated.

"Loud and clear, Danny Boy! Big dish, side of the ship, blow it up! Over!"The Doctor instructed.

"Exterminate the Doctor!"The Dalek furiously ordered.

The Doctor escaped to the TARDIS as the Daleks fired at him.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

"You heard him, Group Captain! Target that dish! Send in all we've got!" Winston ordered.

I looked at Amy with a smile before we turned back to the screen.

"4-4 to Danny Boy, target the dish and stop that signal," The Group Captain ordered.

 ** _"Over. Understood, sir. Over,"_** Danny Boy confirmed, **_"You can count on us! Over,"_** he assured.

"Oh, good luck, lads!" The woman next to us stated.

_Space,_

"Okay, chaps, let's put London back under cover of darkness. Tally ho!" he cheered.

The squadron began firing at the Daleks ship and the dish.

"Cover my back, going in close!" the Dalek ship started firing back at them, "Pull out, pull out,"Danny Boy exclaimed.

One of the planes went down.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

Everyone in the room was gathered around the screen listening in. I was holding Amy's hand in a death grip with my lip between my teeth.

 ** _"We've lost Jubilee, sir! Over,"_** the pilot informed, **_"Beam still active, sir."_**

"Then send them in again!" Winston exclaimed.

The planes regrouped and attacked again.

 ** _"Flintlock's down, sir, and the seems to be protected. Over,"_** the pilot informed, **_"Danny Boy to the Doctor... only me left now."_**

 _Tardis,_  
 ** _"Anything you can do, sir? Over,"_** Danny Boy asked over the radio.

"I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over,"the Doctor stated.

 ** _"Good show, Doctor, go to it. Over,"_** the pilot replied, **_"Going in, wish me luck. Over."_**

The Doctor frantically hit buttons and switches.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

"Direct hit, sir!" The Group Captian cheered.

We all cheered. I wrapped my arms around Amy with a broad smile.

_New Public Offices, Rooftop,_

The Warden watched as the lights go out and sigh in relief.

"Thank the Lord!" He raised a fist to the sky, "Do your worst, Adolf!"

_Space,_

"Danny Boy to the Doctor... going in for another attack," Danny Boy informed.

_Tardis,_

_"_ The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship! Over,"the Doctor exclaimed.

 ** _"What about you, Doctor?"_** He asked.

"I'll be okay,"the Doctor assured.

The White Dalek appeared on the monitor, "Doctor! Call off your attack!"

"Ah-ha, what? And let you scuttle off back to the future? No fear. This is the end for you. The final end!" The Doctor firmly replied while leaning on the railing.

"Call off the attack, or we will destroy the Earth," it threatened.

"I'm not stupid, mate! You've just played your last card," he reminded.

"Bracewell is a bomb," it informed.

"You're bluffing - deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body," he awkwardly disagreed.

"His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum! Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android," the Dalek threatened.

"No!" The Doctor exclaimed, walking back to the console, "This is the best chance ever! The last of the Daleks! I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all!"

"Then do it. But we will shatter the planet below! The Earth will die screaming!"

"And if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever. A new race of Daleks," the Doctor countered.

"Then choose, Doctor! Destroy the Daleks or save the Earth. Begin countdown of Oblivion Continuum! Choose, Doctor! Choose!" The Dalek shouted.

The Doctor sighed and picked up a microphone, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw."

 ** _"Say again, sir. Over,"_** Danny Boy requested in confusion.

"Withdraw! Return to Earth. Over and out."

 ** _"But sir..."_** the Doctor cut him off.

"There's no time; you have to return to Earth now! Over!" He demanded.


	12. Chapter 11

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

I smiled when I saw the Doctor run in until he punched Edwin, knocking him to the ground.

"Doctor!" I shouted and crouched down next to Edwin.

"Ow! Sorry, Professor. You're a bomb! An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb.

"What?" He asked, lifting his head.

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you - a captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension!" The Doctor kneeled next to him with his screwdriver and ripped Edwin's shirt open, "Now keep down!" He used the sonic and revealed mechanics under Edwin's skin.

A circular pad divided into sections was glowing blue on Edwin's chest, and one of the sections turned yellow.

"Well?" Amy asked, looking at the Doctor and me.

"It's a countdown," I shrugged.

"Yes, but I dunno! I dunno!" He shook the screwdriver around, "Never seen one up close."

"So, what, they've wired him up to detonate?" Amy asked.

"Not wired him up! He is a bomb. Walking, talking," he made exploding sound effects, "Exploding! The moment that flashes red."

"Kyla, you have your astronomy and mechanical engineering degree, isn't there a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there? There's always a blue wire," the Doctor stood up, "Or a red one," she mumbled.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead, "Yeah, usually, in the movies! And do I look like a bomb squad unit? I didn't take electrical engineering!" I exclaimed, waving my hands around.

"You're not helping!" The Doctor and I stated.

"It's incredible. He talked to us about his memories. The Great War..." Winston trailed off.

The Doctor tossed the sonic from hand to hand, "Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain. Tell me about it. Bracewell! Tell me about your life!" The Doctor ordered and kneeled again.

"Doctor, I really don't think this is the time!" Edwin exclaimed.

I grabbed his hand, "Let's just try, okay?" The section on Edwin's chest went red, and the second section turned yellow, "Tell us everything," I finished.

"My family ran the Post Office. It's a little place just near the abbey, just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees, but-but there was a storm," Edwin described.

"And your parents? Come on! Tell me!" The Doctor exclaimed, trying to hurry him along.

"Good people. Kind people. They-They died. Scarlet fever."

"What was that like? How did it feel?" The Doctor questioned more.

"Please..." Edwin pleaded.

"Edwin, how did it make you feel? We need to know," I calmly asked.

"It hurt. It hurts, Kyla, so badly. Like a wound," the second section turned red, and the third section went yellow, "It was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing," he explained with sorrow.

"Good. Remember it now, Edwin! The ash trees by the Post Office and your mum and dad and losing them and men in the trenches you saw die. Remember it! Feel it, because you're human," the third section turned red, "You're not like them. You are not like the Daleks!"

Edwin's grip on my hand tightened, "It hurts! Doctor, it hurts so much!" Edwin exclaimed.

"Good! Good! Good! Brilliant! Embrace it," the fourth section turned red, "That means you're alive! They cannot explode that bomb; you're a human being! You are flesh and blood! They cannot explode that bomb! Believe it! You are Professor Edwin Bracewell! And you, my friend, are a human being!" The fifth section turned red, "It's not working; I can't stop it!"

I sighed and looked at Amy before she nodded, "Edwin... have you ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?" I whispered. The Doctor and everyone in the room turned to look at me.

"W... What?"

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The last section was staying yellow, "But that good kind of hurt," I whispered with a smile starting to form as I thought of my secret crush.

"I really shouldn't talk about her," he stated.

I giggled, "So, there's a woman?" The last section switch to blue.

"What was her name?" I asked with a smile.

"Dorabella," he replied with a small smile.

"Dorabella?" The Doctor asked. I slapped his shoulder, "It's a lovely name; it's a beautiful name."

"What was she like, Edwin?" I questioned. I couldn't help but smile at how his face changed to one that looked like it was off in the clouds.

"Oh... Such a smile. And her eyes. Her eyes were so blue, almost violet. Like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world, Dorabella..." all the sections turned white, successfully disarming the bomb.

I smiled and patted the back of his hand, "Welcome to the human race."

The Doctor smiled at Amy and Winston, "You're brilliant," he looked at Edwin, "you're brilliant..." and then he looked at me, "And you..." he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, "Now, gotta stop them! Stop the Daleks!" He stood up and started to run out of the room, leaving me a blushing mess, but Edwin stopped him.

"Wait! Doctor! Wait... Wait," the Doctor stopped as I helped Edwin sit up, "It's too late," he informed, "They've gone."

"No, no, no! They can't! They can't have got away from me again!" The Doctor shouted.

"No, I can feel it; my mind is clear. The Daleks have gone," he further explained.

The Doctor leaned against a pole; I nodded towards Amy.

"Doctor. It's okay! You did it. You stopped the bomb. Doctor?" Amy asked.

"I had a choice. And they knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won," he sighed.

I stood up and walked over, "You save the Earth. That's not too shabby, is it...?" I asked with my head tilted.

The Doctor looked at Winston and all the people in the room, who all looked back at him in support.

"Is it?" I questioned again.

"No," he slowly started smiling, "It's not too shabby."

"It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friend. Here, have a cigar!" Winston cheered, offering a cigar.

"No..." the Doctor waved it off.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Map Room,_

"So, what now, then?" Amy asked Winston.

I was leaning on the desk to the left of him.

"I still have a war to run, Miss Pond," he replied.

A woman handed him a communiqué, "Prime Minister,"

"Oh, thank you," he read the document, "They hit the Palace and St Paul's again. Fire crews only just saved it," he informed.

Breen entered the room crying.

"Is she okay?" I asked, motioning towards her.

"What?" Winston asked.

"She looks quite upset."

"Oh, Miss Breen? Her young man didn't make it, I'm afraid. Just got word. Shot down over the channel," he explained.

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked.

The Doctor entered the room, "Tying up loose ends. I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in," he informed.

"Won't you reconsider, Doctor? Those Spitfires would win me the war in 24 hours!" Winston exclaimed.

"Exactly," the Doctor replied and sipped tea.

"But why not? Why can't we put an end to all this misery?" He asked.

"It doesn't work like that, Winston. It's gonna be hard. There are horrible days to come - the darkest days. But you can do it. I know you can," I smiled.

"Stay with us, and help us win through! The world needs you," Winston stated.

"The world doesn't need me," the Doctor denied.

"No?"

"The world's got Winston Spencer Churchill," he gestured and made the Victory sign.

Winston chuckled, "It's been a pleasure, as always."

"Too right," the Doctor smiled, and the two men hugged.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"Oh, shall we say adieu?" He asked.

They ended their hug, "Indeed. Goodbye, Kyla."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, sir," I smiled and put my hands behind my back, "Can I hug you?" I asked timidly.

He laughed and nodded, "Of course, you can!"

I laughed and hugged him. He then turned to Amy after we ended our hug.

"Goodbye, Miss Pond."

"It's... it's been amazing. Meeting you."

"I'm sure it has!" He laughed.

Amy kissed Winston's cheek, and he headed towards the door.

"Churchill!" I held my hand out, "TARDIS key, please. The one you just snagged from the Doctor," I smiled.

The Doctor nearly choked on his key as he started checking his pockets.

He chuckled and pulled out the key, "Oh, she's good, Doctor. As sharp as a pin!" He placed the key in my hand, "Almost as sharp as me!" He lit his cigar, and the Doctor looked at me with a smile, "KBO!"

After Winston left, the Doctor held his hand out.

"What? Oh, you want this back?" I asked, holding the key up.

The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes, "Yes, now give."

I laughed and placed it in his hand, "I was gonna keep it."

"I'm sure you would've loved to," he laughed.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Bracewell's Lab,_

As we walked into Edwin's Lab, he was standing stoically in his office.

"I've been expecting you, Doctor. I knew this moment had to come," he stated.

"Moment?" The Doctor asked, confused.

"It's time to deactivate me."

"Is it...?" The Doctor asked, looking at us with a smile, "Oh... yeah."

"You have no choice. I'm Dalek technology. Can't allow me to go pottering around down here where I have no business," he explained.

The Doctor nodded, "No, you're dead right, Professor. 100% right. And by the time I get back here in, what ten minutes?"

"More like 15," Amy corrected.

"Fifteen minutes, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do. You are going to be so deactivated. It's going to be like you've never even been activated," the Doctor lied.

"Yeah," Amy and I nodded.

"15 minutes?" Edwin asked.

"More like 20, if I'm honest. Once the Ponds and I see to the urgent thing..." he trailed off.

"Yes!" We both pointed at the Doctor with a nod.

"We've got to see to. The... the... see?" The Doctor stated.

"Very well, Doctor. I shall wait here and prepare myself," Edwin informed sadly.

Amy leaned back, "That Dalek tech's a little slow on the uptake," she whispered, "That we've got to do. Gonna take half an hour, realistically, isn't it, Kyla?" Amy asked in her normal voice.

"Easily! So no running off, that's what we're saying. Don't go trying to find that little Post Office with the ash trees or that girl. What was her name?" I asked, pretending to forget Dorabella's name.

"Dorabella," Edwin replied.

"Dorabella. On no account go looking for her. Mind you, you can get a lot done in a half an hour," the Doctor stated.

Edwin smiled and laughed as he realized what the Doctor was doing, "Thank you, thank you, Doctor!"

"Come along, Ponds!" The Doctor exclaimed. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

_Cabinet War Rooms, Storage Room,_

"So, you have enemies," Amy stated.

"Everyone's got enemies," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russell," I shivered at the thought of the devil dog, "You've got, like, you know, arch-enemies," Amy further explained.

We all leaned on the TARDIS.

"Suppose so."

"And here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff. But no, it's dangerous," Amy stated.

"Yup. Very. Is that a problem?" He asked.

"We're still here. You're worried about the Daleks," I observed and crossed my arms.

"I'm always worried about the Daleks."

"It'll take time, though, won't it? There's still not many of them. They'll need a while to build themselves up," I added.

"It's not that. There's something else. Something we've forgotten. Or rather you have," he enlightened.

"Me?" Amy asked.

"No, Kyla," he looked at me, "You didn't remember them, Kyla. You've never seen them before. And you should have done. You should."

Amy went into the TARDIS. First, I was about to go in, but the Doctor pulled me back.

"Something the matter?" I asked.

"Do you have two degrees?" He asked.

I laughed and nodded, "I do, I graduated early from school, and I got two bachelor's degrees, Astronomy, and Mechanical Engineering."

He smiled, "That's impressive."

I smiled, "That's just me in general." I went to go in, but he pulled me back again.

"I also noticed how caring you are... with just one glance, you can tell how someone feels," he mumbled.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Uh, yeah? It's a skill, I guess..." I turned and went into the TARDIS, leaving the Doctor outside.

_Doctor's POV,_

"Who are you?" I questioned as I watched Kyla go into the TARDIS.


	13. Chapter 12

_Open Field, Day,_

It's a beautiful day with the sun shining from the clear, blue sky. And in the middle of it all is a young man slowly spinning. His eyes are glossy, with a drugged appearance along with an imprint of a kiss in red lipstick just above his lips. He is approached by three men, two armed, and the third is an older gentleman in an evening jacket.

"It's a beautiful day," the young man says.

The older man approached him and used his handkerchief to wipe at the lipstick.

_Ship's Corridor,_

Come to find out; they were all actually on a ship in outer space.

"Hallucinogenic lipstick. She's here," the older man informed and walked away.

_Ship, Another Corridor,_

A woman strode along the corridor in ruby red high heels, her black dress swirling at her ankles. She stopped in front of a door, pulled out a gun from her small bag, and fired at the lock. The door slid open, revealing a black cube with a hole through the center. She tilted the cube, so the top was facing her. She changed the setting on her gun with a 'click,' and the gun turned into a blowtorch. She began to write a message.

**_-12,000 Years Later-_ **

_Museum,_

The Doctor decided to take us to a museum. We have a time machine spaceship that can take us literally anywhere, and he takes us to a museum! 

"Wrong! Wrong! Bit right, mostly wrong," the Doctor exclaimed as he walked around the glass exhibit cases, "I love museums!" He continued while looking around the room with us trailing behind him.

"Yeah, great. Can we go to a planet now? Big space ship, Churchill's bunker...?" Amy suggested.

"You promised us a planet," I pouted as I wrapped my hand around the Doctor's.

"Amy, Kyla, this isn't any old asteroid. It's the Delerium Archive, the final resting place of the headless monks, the biggest museum ever," the Doctor gushed while pulling me along as he weaved between the cases.

"You've got a time machine; what do you need museums for?" I asked.

"Wrong! Very wrong! Oooh, one of mine. Also, one of mine," he exclaimed as he peered into the display cases.

"Oh, it's how you keep score!" I laughed as I looked into the cases the Doctor was looking at until the next case over caught his attention.

The Doctor glanced at the top of the cube, which bore strange symbols. 

"Oh, great, an old box," Amy sarcastically remarked.

I looked at her with a raised brow, "Excuse you, but the Tardis is an old box, and its a time machine/space ship! Boxes can be very cool," I boasted, making the Doctor smile.

"It's from one of the old starliners. A Home Box," the Doctor informed while leaning on the case.

"What's a Home Box?" Amy asked, leaning on the opposite side of the case while I leaned on the glass between them both.

"Like a black box on a plane, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home, with all the flight data," the Doctor answered.

"So?" Amy questioned with a bored tone.

"The writing, the graffiti - Old High Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords," the Doctor replied, looking up at us.

I smiled broadly and looked closer at the box, "So you can read this, then?" I asked.

He nodded with a smile, "There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires, and topple Gods," the Doctor gushed.

"So, what does it say?!" I asked enthusiastically while bouncing up and down.

"Hello, sweetie," he deadpanned.

_Ship's Corridor,_

A door slid open to reveal the woman; she looked straight at the security camera, pulled down her sunglasses, and winked before walking away.

_Museum,_

"So, we need this box, yeah?" I asked with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

The Doctor nodded and pulled out his sonic, he tried using it, but it made the alarms go off. 

"That's not good!" I exclaimed, looking towards the Doctor.

"It's fine!" He kicked the case making the glass shatter; I picked up the cube, and the Doctor grabbed my hand before we all bolted for the Tardis with guards hot on our tails.

_Ship's Corridor,_

Two armed guards turn a corner and stop, rifles raised, as the same man from before approaches more slowly. He stood between the two guards.

"Party's over, Doctor Song."

_Tardis,_

The Doctor hooked the Home Box up to the console.

"Why are we doing this?" Amy asked while leaning over the Doctor's shoulder.

"'Cos someone on a space ship 12,000 years ago is trying to attract my attention. Let's see if we can get the security playback working," the Doctor explained.

Grainy black and white footage of a woman with poofy hair winking at the camera played on the monitor before switching to her with her back to the camera facing a door.

 _" **The party's over, Doctor Song, yet still you're on board,** " _an older man stated.

 _" **Sorry, Alister. I need to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you?** " _The woman asked, but no one responded, **_"Because I'll tell you something. This ship won't reach its destination."_**

 _" **Wait till she runs. Don't make it look like an execution,** " _the man instructed.

The woman looked at her watch, _"T **riple-seven, five slash, three, four, nine by ten. Zero, twelve, slash, acorn. Oh, and I could do with an air corridor,** " _she stated.

I looked at the Doctor with a grin, confusing Amy, "What was that? What did she say?" She asked.

"Co-ordinates!" The Doctor and I exclaimed in unison.

I laughed, "I like her!" 

_" **Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang on to!** " _She smirked before a timer started counting down. She blew a kiss just before the door behind her blew open, and she's carried out into space.

The Doctor let out a 'whoop' as he ran around the console running to the Tardis doors. He reached out and pulled the woman in, and they both landed on the floor. I was standing by the console with my arms crossed and an annoyed expression.

"Doctor?" I asked semi-annoyed.

"River?" The Doctor asked.

They stood and watched the ship fly away.

"Follow that ship," River instructed.

We were now following the ship, but it was quite bumpy.

"They've gone into warp drive; we're losing them! Stay close!" River ordered.

"I'm trying!" The Doctor shot back.

I was holding onto the railing, trying not to throw up from how all over the place we were.

"Use the stabilizers!" River shouted.

"There aren't any stabilizers!" He shouted back.

"The blue switches!" She exclaimed.

"The blue ones don't do anything; they're just... blue!" 

"I don't care if they're 'just blue'! I'm using them!" I shouted and pushed the stabilizer button making the ship fall quiet; I sighed with relief.

"See?" River asked smugly.

"Yeah, well, it's just boring now, isn't it? They're boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers," he pouted.

"Doctor, how come she can fly the Tardis?" Amy asked.

I flopped down into the jumpseat, still trying not to throw up.

The Doctor scoffed as he came over to me and leaned on the railing next to the chair, "You call that flying the Tardis! Ha!" 

"Okay. I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right alongside," River informed.

"Parked us? We haven't landed," the Doctor stated as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I caught Amy staring at us from the corner of my eye, but I shook it off.

"Of course we've landed. I just landed her," River replied.

"But it didn't make the noise," the Doctor stated.

River looked at him oddly, "What noise?"

"You know, the..." he started making wheezing noises making me burst out laughing.

River smiled, "It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on."

Everyone turned to me when they realized I was still laughing my head off.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor asked.

I gasped out a reply, "You just sounded like a dying donkey!"

The Doctor's jaw dropped, "Excuse me! But you don't sound any better!" He shot back, trying not to smile.

Amy looked at us with a grin as she chuckled along with River. I continued to laugh before I stood up and kissed his cheek, making him get all flustered.

The Doctor straightened his bowtie before smiling, "Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise. I love that noise. Come along, Ponds, let's have a look," the Doctor exclaimed and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the Tardis doors.

"No, wait! Environment checks," River reminded.

"Oh, yes, sorry! Quite right. Environment checks," he opened the door and stuck his head out, "Nice out," he informed with a cheeky smirk.

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt. There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest..." before River could finish he sentence the Doctor but in.

"We're on Alfava Metraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System. Oxygen-rich atmosphere, toxins in the soft band, 11-hour day, and..." he stuck his head out again, "chances of rain later," he informed.

River looked at us, "He thinks he's so hot when he does that."

I shrugged, "I think he's hot all the time," I mumbled, but unfortunately for me, River and Amy heard it, and Amy nudged me with a smirk. I blushed and turned towards the console with a grumble before changing the subject.

"So, River, how come you can fly the Tardis?" I asked.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best," she answered as the Doctor sat down in the jumpseat, pulling me down too, so I was sitting on his leg. I blushed even harder than before.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor said smugly.

"It's a shame you were busy that day, but thankfully the Mother was here," she picked up her shoes. I felt the Doctor tense under me at the name River mentioned, "Right then, why did they land here?" River asked as she headed for the door.

"They didn't land," the Doctor tapped my leg, and I stood up so he could spring up.

"Sorry?" River questioned.

"You should've checked the Home Box - it crashed," he informed as he followed her.

River stepped outside, and the Doctor closed the door behind her before heading back to the console.

"Explain! Who is that, and how did she do that museum thing?" Amy asked well, more like demanded.

The Doctor started hitting controls, "It's a long story, and I don't know most of it. Off we go!" 

"Hold on! We're not just leaving her here!" I exclaimed, motioning to the doors.

"We're leaving! She's got where she wants to go. Let's go where we want to go," he replied.

"Are you running away?" Amy questioned.

"Yep!"

"Why?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"'Cos she's the future, my future," he replied.

"Can you run away from that?" I questioned.

"I can run away from anything I like. Time is not the boss of me," he stated.

I smiled smugly," Is that a planet out there?" 

"Yes, of course, it's a planet!" He answered in a 'duh' tone.

"You promised us a planet," I pouted, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Five minutes?" Amy asked, copying me.

He went to argue, he even put up his finger ready to, but he groaned in defeat, "Okay, five minutes!" 

I squealed and ran to the Tardis doors.

"Yes!" Amy cheered, following me.

"But that's all, 'cos I'm telling you now, that woman is not dragging me into anything!" The Doctor exclaimed, following behind us.


	14. Chapter 13

**~Introducing:** **Josh O'Connor~**

****

**~As Benjamin or Ben~**

_Beach, Day,_

We walked out onto the beach, where a giant spaceship was crashed in the top of an ancient stone building. It was burning in areas, and bits of debris were scattered across the beach.

"What caused it to crash? Not me," River asked, looking up.

We all walked over to her.

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it. According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase-shift. No survivors," the Doctor informed while looking up as well.

River looked at the Doctor, "A phase-shift would have to be sabotage. I did warn them," she stated.

"About what?" I asked, walking up to the left side of her.

"Well, at least the building was empty — Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries," she began typing on a device in her hands.

The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where Amy was standing a few feet back.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Amy asked with a smirk.

The Doctor sighed, "Kyla, Amy Pond, Professor River Song," he gestured.

River turned to face us with a smile, "Ahhh, I'm going to be a Professor someday, am I?" She asked.

The Doctor scrunched his face up at his mistake.

"How exciting!" She chuckled and started doing what she was doing again, "Spoilers!" She exclaimed.

I laughed and pointed at her, "Oooh, I like that! I'm going to use that!" 

She laughed, "I thought you'd like it."

Amy leaned over to the Doctor, "Yeah, but who is she, and how did she do that? She just left you a note in a museum!" Amy whispered with amusement.

The Doctor shushed her and walked away slightly.

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum; The Home Box of category four starliner and, sooner or later, them. It's how they keep score," River explained as she turned to us for a moment gesturing between the Doctor and me.

"I know!" Amy laughed.

I scrunched my face up, "Wait... why am I included in that?" 

"Spoilers!" She exclaimed once again, "But it is hilarious, isn't it?" 

The Doctor came up behind us with a sarcastic laugh, "I'm nobody's taxi service!" He stated, then turned to River, raising a finger, "I'm not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship," he slightly spat out and turned away.

I walked over to him and rested my hand on his shoulder, and I smiled when I felt him relax slightly, he glanced down at me with a worried expression, but my smile made his face lighten.

"And you are so wrong. There's one survivor. There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die," River informed, looking back at us with a smug expression, "Now they're listening!" She put the device up to her ear. She started talking into it, "You lot in orbit yet? Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal," she had walked a good distance away and turned back to us, holding up her device, "Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon," she asked.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic with an annoyed expression and used it on her communication device. She dropped a small curtsey.

I leaned into the Doctor, "Ooh, Doctor! You soniced her!" I teased in a seductive tone.

He glared at me before looking back towards River. I laughed and walked away from everyone looking at the surroundings.

"We have a minute. Shall we?" River asked, pulling out a diary that looked like the Tardis, "Where were we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?" She asked.

"What's that book?" Amy asked, walking closer.

"Stay away from it," the Doctor warned, not taking his eyes off me.

"What is it, though?" Amy asked again.

"Her diary," the Doctor answered.

"Our diary, and Kyla's actually," River corrected.

"Her past, my... wait, did you say Kyla's too?" The Doctor asked, turning to River.

"Spoilers," she smiled.

The Doctor groaned, "It's my future — time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order," he explained.

Five columns of swirling 'dust' appeared, revealing four soldiers in camouflage uniforms while the fifth man was wearing a light blue button-up shirt with braces attached to his blue jeans. One of the soldiers approached River.

"You promised me an army, Doctor Song," he gruffly stated.

"No. I promised you the equivalent of an army. This is the Doctor and Ky..." River stopped herself and looked around before she spotted me, "Kyla! Come over here!" 

I turned around and ran over to where they all were, "This is the Doctor and Kyla Pond," River finished introducing.

The Doctor slung an arm over my shoulders and gave a lighthearted salute.

He shook our hands, "Father Octavian, sir, ma'am. Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the dropship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation," Octavian took notice of how the Doctor was staring at the ship, "Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?" He asked.

"Doctor, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?" River asked.

The Doctor's head whipped over to look at her, obviously tense. I looked behind River and Octavian taking notice of the young man that wasn't dressed like everyone else.

_Beach, Night,_

The transport ship finally arrived, and we had already set up camp. We strode across the ground, following behind Octavian.

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship. Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top; we'd be too close to the drives. According to this," he showed us the screen of his device, "behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up," Octavian explained. 

"Oh, good," the Doctor replied with a fake smile.

"Good, sir?" Octavian asked, confused.

"Catacombs, probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great!" He exclaimed with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Technically, I think it's called the maze of the dead," Octavian corrected.

"You can stop any time you like," I stated while crossing my arms.

"Father Octavian?" A soldier called.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am," he nodded and left with the Doctor waving him off.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and started scanning everything on the table we were standing in front of.

"You're letting people call you 'sir.' You never do that," Amy stated as she hopped onto the table, "So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?" 

"Now that's interesting..." the Doctor mumbled to himself before turning to us, "You're both still here. Which part of 'Wait in the Tardis till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?" He asked, annoyed.

"All of it. One: River told you and Octavian that I was part of your 'army.' Two: You think we're going to let you go on an adventure without us?" I asked, "But you're Mr. Grumpy Face today," I teased.

Amy laughed, but the Doctor gave us both a look that shut us up immediately, "A Weeping Angel, Amy, Kyla, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form evolution has ever produced, and one is trapped inside that wreckage, and I'm supposed to climb in with a screwdriver and a torch--and assuming I survive the radiation, and the whole ship doesn't blow up in my face--do something clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?" He asked.

"Is River Song your wife? 'Cos she's someone from your future, and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that, except Kyla, and you usually glare at her, but you know, 'Heel, boy!' She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she gonna be your wife one day?" Amy questioned.

The Doctor gave an annoyed sigh before looking at Amy, "Yes. You're right. I am Mr. Grumpy Face today."

"Doctor? Doctor!" She waved from the dropship before calling Father Octavian, a guy named Ben, Amy, and myself.

I laughed when the Doctor rolled his eyes and slumped his forehead onto my shoulder.

"Oops! Her indoors!" Amy exclaimed.

_Transport Ship,_

On the screen was a black and white image of a statue covering its face facing away from the camera. I stood next to the young man from earlier, which I can now assume is Ben.

"What do you think? It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop," River asked.

"Yeah, it's an Angel. Hands covering its face," the Doctor confirmed as he leaned next to the television.

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian asked.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago. But those were scavengers, barely surviving," the Doctor explained.

"It's just a statue," I stated, even I was having a hard time believing this.

"It's a statue when you see it," River replied.

"Where did it come from?" The Doctor asked, crossing his arms looking towards River.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since, dormant all that time," she explained.

"There's a difference between dormant and patient," I remarked, utterly creeped out by the statue.

"What's that mean? It's a statue when you see it?" Amy asked.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen. So legend has it," River replied.

The Doctor put his hand on a handgrip thing, and it ripped off, "No, it's not a legend, it's a quantum lock. In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism," he clarified.

"What, being stone?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Being stone... until you turn your back," the Doctor replied darkly before leading everyone out of the transport ship, blabbing away.

_Beach,_

"The hyperdrive would've split on impact. The whole ship will be flooded with radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to almost any living thing," the Doctor explained.

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked, following behind the Doctor.

"Dinner to an Angel. The longer we leave it, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?" The Doctor questioned with many gestures.

River read her device, "The Aplans. The indigenous life-form. They died out 400 years ago," she answered in a 'you know this' tone.

"200 years later, the planet was terraformed. Currently, there are six billion human colonists," Octavian added.

"Whoo! You lot, you're everywhere! Like rabbits! I'll never get done saving you," the Doctor exclaimed.

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population..." the Doctor cut Octavian off.

"Oh, there is. Bad as it gets. Bishop, lock, and load," the Doctor ordered.

"Verger, how we doing with those explosives? Dr. Song, with me," Octavian stated.

"Two minutes, Sweetie, Amy, Benny Boy, I need you!" River exclaimed as she ran in the opposite direction Octavian did. 

The Doctor mouthed 'sweetie' and realized she meant him and ran after her with Amy joining his side.

Kyla stood on the steps of the transport ship, "Anybody need me? Nobody?" She crossed her arms with a sigh and walked back into the transport ship.

_Transport Ship,_

I sighed and walked into the transport ship. I looked at the screen that had the Angel on it, and I slowly walked forward. The statue's hands were no longer covering its face, and it was looking over its shoulder.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"I found this. Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman, it's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages," Ben informed as he handed the old book to the Doctor.

The Doctor speed read through the book, "Not bad, bit slow in the middle, didn't you hate his girlfriend?"

Amy looked at him, "Did you just finish that entire book?"

"No, hang on, wait, wait!" The Doctor exclaimed and sniffed the book.

Kyla popped her head out of the transport ship, "River? Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?" She asked.

"No, just the four seconds," she replied, looking at the young girl that had no idea who she or Ben was.

Kyla gave her a confused face and went back inside.

"This book is wrong! What's wrong with this book, it's wrong," the Doctor questioned.

_Transport Ship,_

I walked back into the ship wholly baffled, I looked at the screen again, and the Angel was facing forward, its hands by its side. I stepped forward and bent over with my arms crossed; I looked at the time loop, 11:24-11:28. I looked back up at the Angel and yelped when it was closer to the camera.

The transport ship's door closed with a 'click' and deadlocked, locking her in the room.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

River watched intently as the Doctor skimmed through the book.

"Oh, it's so strange when you go all baby-face. How early is this for you?" She asked with a smile as she held her journal.

"Very early," the Doctor answered.

"So you don't know who we are yet?" Ben asked.

"How do you know who I am? I don't even know you," the Doctor stated, glancing at Ben, "I don't always look the same." 

"I've got pictures of all your faces. And Benny Boy here is chock full of spoilers. You never show up in the right order, though. I need the spotter's guide," she explained.

"Pictures? Why aren't there pictures?" The Doctor asked as if realizing something.

_Transport Ship,_

I walked over to the table and grabbed the remote, I turned the television off multiple times, but it kept coming back on. I sat the remote down and peered at the screen.

"You're just a recording. How are you moving?" I mumbled while squinting my eyes.

I looked away from the screen to the power plug, I walked forward and tried pulling it out, but it wouldn't budge. I looked up and jumped back with a gasp when the Angel was close to the camera. I backed up to the door.

"Doctor!" I yelled, trying to get the door to budge. I looked over at the screen; the Angel's mouth was open as if in predatory mode, "Doctor! Amy!" I shouted and leaned on the door, feeling my heart rate pick up as if I had two hearts.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"This whole book - it's a warning, about the Weeping Angels. So why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?" The Doctor asked, turning to Ben and River.

"There was a bit about images," Ben stated with a shrug.

"Yes! Hang on..." the Doctor opened the book and flipped through the pages, " _' **That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel,'**_ " he read.

_Transport Ship,_

I looked at the screen again before turning away and trying to open the door again, "Doctor!" I yelled, getting more scared by the second.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"What does that mean? **_'An image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel._** '" River asked.

_Transport Ship,_

I looked at the screen again only to find the Angel out of the screen as a solid object.

"Doctor! It's in the room!" I bellowed.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"Kyla!" The Doctor shouted and ran to the transport ship.

_Transport Ship,_

I pressed the buttons on the keypad before banging my hand against it, "Doctor!" I groaned and ripped the keyboard off, and started fiddling with the wires.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

The Doctor ran to the transport door and pushed his body against it, "Are you all right? What's happening?" 

_Transport Ship,_

"It's coming out of the television! Everything I'm trying isn't working! Doctor!" I shouted as a reply.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

**_"Doctor, I'm really scared right now! And the Angel is here!"_ **Kyla yelled from the other side, panic evident in her voice.

"I know you are, but keep your eyes on it!" He took out his sonic and started using it on the keypad, "It can't move if you're looking. What's wrong? It's deadlocked," he stated as he ran to a panel and ripped it open.

"There is no deadlock," River exclaimed as she tried to override the controls.

"Don't blink, Kyla! Don't even blink!" The Doctor demanded.

_Transport Ship,_

"Doctor!" I yelled in panic as I felt tears starting to form.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

Amy ran to the door, "Kyla, you're gonna be fine! The Doctor, River, and Ben are working on it, okay?" 

_**"Okay, please hurry!"** _She replied.

"What are you doing?" River asked, looking towards the Doctor.

"Cutting the power. It's using the screen; I'm turning the screen off. It's no good. It's deadlocked the whole system," the Doctor informed, exasperated.

"There's no deadlock," River and Ben said at the same time.

"There is now!" The Doctor shouted.

 _ **"Help me!"**_ Kyla yelled desperately.

"Kyla! Can you turn it off?" Ben asked. 

_Transport Ship,_

I backed up to the wall with tears freely falling now, "Doctor!" 

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"The screen, can you turn it off?" Ben asked again, but more urgently.

_Transport Ship,_

"I tried," I exclaimed while hugging my knees.

 _ **"Try again, but don't take your eyes off the Angel,"**_ Ben instructed.

"I'm not!" I shouted back.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

The Doctor, River, and Ben are still trying to get into the controls.

"Each time it moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink," the Doctor informed.

_Transport Ship,_

"I'm not blinking! Have you ever tried not blinking?" I asked harshly as I wobbly stood up and continued winking, rotating between each eye. I fumbled around slightly as I looked for the remote. Once I found it, I picked it up and backed up to the wall and slid down it. I tried switching it off again, but it switched back on, "It just keeps switching back on!" I yelled as I sniffled.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"Yeah, it's the Angel," the Doctor confirmed.

_Transport Ship,_

"But it's just a recording," I lied, trying to convince myself.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

"No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel," the Doctor turned to River, who was using her blow pistol on the door, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through. It's not even warm," she groaned.

"There is no way in. It's not physically possible," the Doctor sighed agitatedly.

_Transport Ship,_

"Doctor! What is it gonna do to me?" I asked with a wavering voice.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

Amy looked at the Doctor with a worried and terrified expression; the Doctor put his head to the door, pained at having to hear Kyla's voice broken.

"Just keep looking at it. Don't stop looking!" He ordered.

 _ **"Please, just tell me!"** _She pleaded.

The Doctor ran to the book and brought it just outside the door where he then sat.

"Kyla, not the eyes," he ordered.

_Transport Ship,_

_**"Look anywhere but don't look at the eyes,"**_ the Doctor informed.

I stared into the eyes, not moving, "Why?" I asked, panicked even more.

_With River, Amy, Ben, and The Doctor,_

" ** _'The eyes are not the windows of the soul, they are the doors. Beware what may enter there,'_** " the Doctor read aloud.

_Transport Ship,_

"Doctor, what did it say?" I asked.

 ** _"Don't look at the eyes!"_** He yelled again.

"No, about images, what did you say about images?" I asked again as I picked up the remote.

"Whatever holds the image of an angel is an angel," River answered.

"Okay, hold on..." I held the remote out and started counting, "One, two three, four..." I hit the pause button, and then it was just static. The Angel froze before turning off, and the door unlocked and opened. I laughed pitifully and rested my head on the wall letting happy tears fall before I got tackled into a hug by Amy. 

The Doctor, River, and Ben came in. The Doctor went to the television and unplugged it.

"I froze it! There was a sort of blip on the tape, and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an angel anymore. That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good," I gushed with a sigh.

"That was amazing!" River and Ben exclaimed.


	15. Chapter 14

The Doctor smiled broadly, "River, hug, Kyla," the Doctor instructed.

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cos I'm busy," the Doctor replied.

I frowned slightly and let out a quiet scoff, but Ben came over and hugged my side, "You're brilliant!"

I smiled, "Thanks. I creamed it, didn't I?" 

He smiled and pulled me closer into the hug making the Doctor glare slightly, but that isn't what I found strange; it was the fact that I don't know Ben, but I felt a weird connection with him.

"So it was here? That was the Angel?" River asked.

"That was a projection of the Angel. It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant," the Doctor replied.

There was a loud 'boom' from outside.

I jumped slightly and turned towards the door; the Doctor ran out of the transport ship.

_Beach,_

"It's gone positive!" A soldier announced to Octavian.

"Doctor! We're through!" Octavian announced.

The Doctor looked at us, "Okay. Now it starts," he stated and went outside.

Both River, Amy, and Ben headed to the door. My left eye started bugging me, so I started rubbing it.

"You coming?" Ben asked, coming back over.

I nodded, "Yeah, sorry. Sensitive eyes, felt like something went into it," he outstretched his arm. I smiled and looped my arm through his.

_Maze of the Dead, Main Chamber,_

We all climbed down a rope ladder to get onto the main floor of the labyrinth, I was the last one down, and the Doctor grabbed my waist, carefully setting me on the ground before he turned on his torch going over to Octavian.

"Do we have a gravity globe?" The Doctor asked Octavian as I looked around.

"Grave globe," Octavian ordered, and a soldier pulled a white sphere from his backpack handing it to Octavian.

"Where are we? What is this?" I asked, looking around the room.

"It's an Aplan mortarium. Sometimes called the maze of the dead," River answered.

I nodded, "Ah, that's not creepy at all," I sarcastically remarked.

"And what's that?" 

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone..." the Doctor kicked the globe into the air like a football, it raised into the air and stopped before lighting up the cave illuminating dozens of stone statues, "the perfect hiding place," he finished.

"Woah..." I breathed out.

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian pointed out.

"Yeah, just a bit," I agreed.

"A stone angel on the loose amongst stone statues. A lot harder than I'd prayed for," Octavian added.

"A needle in a haystack," River simplified.

"A needle that looks like hay. A hay-like needle. Of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues," I placed my hand on the Doctor's arm with a face that said 'shut up,' "No, yours was fine," he shrugged.

"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question - how do we fight it?" Octavian asked.

"We find it and hope," the Doctor answered and walked off with Amy and me following. 

River and Ben went to follow us, but Octavian grabbed their arms. 

_With River, Octavian, and Ben,_

"They don't know yet, do they? Who and what you both are," Octavian questioned.

"It's too early in their time streams," River informed.

"Well, make sure they don't work it out, or they won't help us," Octavian warned.

"We won't let you down. Believe me; we have no intention of going back to prison," Ben finished before walking away with River next to him. "It's weird seeing them this young," Ben whispered to River.

She nodded, "It must be very odd for you," she smirked and walked ahead of him.

_Maze Of The Dead, Upward Passage,_

The Doctor was shining his torch around as Amy and I caught up to him. I stopped and looked at the many floors above us with statues lining the way. I felt a ting in my eye, making me start rubbing it again, it wouldn't go away, so I rubbed my fist against it making sand and grit fall. I immediately stopped and looked at my hand, terrified. Ben came up beside me, making me jump.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you; I was going to ask if you're all right?" He kindly asked.

"No, you're fine! I'm fine! Uh, what's the maze of the dead?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

He gave me an unsure look before answering, "It's not as bad as it sounds. It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls," he pursed his lips, "Okay, that was fairly bad. Give me your arm," he lifted a syringe thing, "This won't hurt a bit," he smiled and stuck it in my arm.

"Ow!" I yelped and hissed in pain.

"See. I lied. It's a viro-stabilizer. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship."

_With Amy and River,_

"So, what're they like? In the future, I mean. 'Cos you know them in the future, don't you?" Amy asked River as she rubbed up and down on her arm.

"The Doctor? Well, the Doctor's the Doctor. But, Kyla is something extraordinary," she answered with a ghost of a smile.

"Oh, well, that's very helpful. Mind if I write that down?" Amy sarcastically asked.

_With Kyla and Ben,_

"So, what are you here for? You obviously know River," I asked, tilting my head.

Ben laughed, "I do know River. Great observation skills," I playfully rolled my eyes, "But, I'm here for the same reason River is," he smiled.

I nodded, "And why is River here?" 

"Spoilers, as she would say."

I groaned before River herself caught our attention, "Yes, we are," River stated, shining her light at the Doctor.

"Sorry, what?" The Doctor asked, looking at River's device.

"Talking about you," she clarified.

"I wasn't listening. I'm busy," the Doctor stated, not looking up from the device except to the statue in front of him.

"Ah. The other way up," River informed with a smirk.

The Doctor turned her device the other way and looked at River, who merely raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed.

I laughed softly, looking at him with admiration.

_With River and Amy,_

"She is so his wife," Amy blurted out in a whisper, looking towards Kyla.

"Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy! This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything that simple?" River asked, shaking her head.

"Yep," Amy nodded.

"You're good. I'm not saying you're right, but you are very good," she smiled.

_With Kyla and Ben,_

"You really like him, don't you?" Ben whispered, nodding towards the Doctor.

I blushed slightly and rubbed my neck, "Uh, I guess, yeah?" I scrunched my face up, not sure how to respond.

"You don't sound so sure, but I can tell you one thing, the way he looks at you, it's something very unique, and you somehow look at him with such admiration. I think you like him, and you don't know how to process it," Ben declared and tapped my nose, just like the Doctor does, I raised my eyebrows and raised a finger ready to protest, but he just laughed and walked ahead, following everyone else.

_Maze Of The Dead, Side Chamber,_

Angelo and the other cleric are searching the dark chamber.

"Can you believe this? We're hunting statues," the cleric admitted in disbelief.

"Better than chasing lava snakes," Angelo shrugged.

"Actually, lava snakes weren't that bad," the other cleric countered.

The cleric moved ahead through the cave out of Angelo's sight. He stepped forward slowly when the torch on his rifle flickered. There's a grinding sound that sounds like stone grinding on stone.

"Who's there? Is someone there? Angelo?" He turned his head, "Angelo!" He looked back only to be confronted by an Angel. His light went out.

"Christian, is that you?" Angelo asked into his radio.

"Angelo, come and see this," Christian replied.

"What is it?" Angelo asked, holding his rifle tightly.

"Just come and see it," Christian encouraged.

Angelo rolled his eyes, "It's not a school trip. Just tell me," Angelo demanded.

"No, really, come and see," Christian encouraged further.

Angelo followed Christian's steps and is attacked by an Angel.

_Maze Of The Dead, Upward Passage,_

We all examined the statues when gunfire sounded, making us all go on high alert and bolt back to the main chamber.

_Maze Of The Dead, Main Chamber,_

We all ran into the main chamber, looking at the young cleric that fired his weapon at a statue. The Doctor stopped and looked at it.

"Sorry. Sorry, I thought I thought it looked at me," he apologized.

"We know what the Angel looks like. Is that the Angel?" Octavian asked harshly.

"No, sir," the young cleric answered.

"No, sir, it is not! According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good, it would be very good if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor," Octavian scolded.

I stepped forward, "All right, Octavian, that's enough!" I shouted, annoyed at the man in front of me. Everyone's heads snapped to me, "He already feels bad, and he apologized," I snapped before turning to the young man, "What's your name?" I asked kindly. 

"Bob, ma'am," he answered.

I smiled, "Bob! That's a fantastic name!" I complimented.

"It's a Sacred Name. We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church," Octavian explained.

I nodded and walked over to Bob, "Sacred Bob, more like Scared Bob, yeah?" 

"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed.

"That's good; you know why?" He shook his head, making me smile, "Because you'd be daft not to be. Carry on," I ordered before turning and looking at Octavian, "He's young, cut him some slack," I glared and pulled Bob aside.

"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes," Octavian turned to Bob glancing at me slightly, "You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach."

Bob nodded before turning to me, "Is everything all right, ma'am?" He asked timidly.

I laughed with a small nod, "Everything is fine, Bob. I just wanted to make you a promise; we will get everyone out safely, I promise." 

He smiled, "I hope so, ma'am," he saluted before walking away.

I was now alone until the Doctor joined my side, "You're so caring," he blurted out.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Thank you?" 

"I do mean that as a compliment! Just what you did for Bob, not many would do that, especially to someone like Octavian," he stated.

I nodded, "Well, thank you. No one deserves to be talked to that way, especially when you already feel bad for doing it." 

He nodded and grabbed my hand, "That's what makes you special," he smiled and kissed the back of my hand before running off.

_Maze Of The Dead, Upward Passage,_

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just gonna collapse? There's a whole ship up there," Amy asked, walking behind the Doctor.

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River replied.

"Had dinner with their chief architect once. Two heads better than one," the Doctor stated.

"You mean you helped him?" Amy asked.

"No, I mean he had two heads. That book, the very end, what did it say?" The Doctor asked.

"Hang on," Ben pulled the book out of his pack.

"Read it to me," the Doctor instructed, holding his torch at his side.

" ** _'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels.'_** " Ben read aloud.

We continued on our way, and Amy wouldn't shut up.

"Are we there yet? It's a heck of a climb," she asked.

"The maze is on six levels representing the ascent of the soul. Only two levels to go," River answered.

"Lovely species, the Aplans. We should visit them sometime," the Doctor suggested.

"I thought they were all dead?" Amy asked.

"So's Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. That's having two heads. You're never short of a snog with an extra head," the Doctor replied.

I turned to the Doctor, "There's something not adding up. Are you getting that feeling too?" I asked.

He glanced at me with a nod, "Yeah, something wrong. Don't know what it is yet either, working on it. Then they started having laws against self-marrying, and what was that about? But that's the church for you. Erm, no offense, Bishop," the Doctor rambled, glancing at Octavian. 

"Quite a lot taken if that's all right, Doctor," Octavian replied.

There was a narrow passage ahead of us lined with statues.

"Lowest point in the wreckage is only about 50 feet up from here. That way," Octavian informed as we walked through the narrow tunnel.

"Church had a point if you think about it. The divorces must have been..." I cut myself off when I realized something. I walked over to River and the Doctor, pulling Ben along with me. I leaned over to the Doctor, "Why don't the statues have two heads?" I asked in a hushed tone.

The Doctor stopped and looked at a statue, "Oh! Kyla, you're brilliant!" 

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, confused.

"Oh," River breathed out and stared at the Doctor.

"That's not good," Ben agreed, taking notice of it too. 

"Exactly," the Doctor agreed.

"How could we not notice that?" River asked, puzzled.

"Low-level perception filter, or maybe we're thick," the Doctor replied.

"What's wrong, sir, ma'am?" Octavian asked.

"Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake, and we are all in danger," the Doctor apologized.

"What danger?" 

"The Aplans," I answered.

"The Aplans?" Octavian repeated.

"They have two heads..." I stated, staring at the statue.

"Yes, I get that. So?" He asked, still lost.

"So why don't the statues? Everyone, over there. Just move, don't ask questions, don't speak," the Doctor ordered, gesturing towards where Octavian and Amy were standing, "Okay. I want you all to switch off your torches."

"Sir?" Octavian asked skeptically.

"Just do it," the Doctor demanded, making everyone turn their torches off, "Okay. I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment," he informed.

"Are you sure about this?" River asked.

"No," the Doctor grabbed my hand tightly before switching his torch off for a brief second. When he turned it back on, the statues were facing us. The Doctor let go of my hand and ran ahead.

"Oh, my god! They've moved," Amy stated the obvious.

I laughed sarcastically, "Yeah, no kidding!" I exclaimed, grabbing her and pulling her with me towards the Doctor.

"They're Angels. All of them!" He announced.

"But they can't be," River argued in disbelief.

"Clerics, keep watching them," the Doctor ordered as he slid past a few and ran forward. 

We followed close behind.

"Every statue in this maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us," the Doctor informed, shining the torch down at two Angels.

"There was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear," River pleaded.

"The Aplans, how did they die out?" The Doctor asked.

"Nobody knows," Ben answered.

"We know," the Doctor countered.

"They don't look like Angels," Octavian pointed out.

"And they're not fast. You said they were fast. They should have had us by now," I stated, hugging closer to River and Amy.

"They're dying, losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving," the Doctor explained, looking at a statue.

"Losing their image."

"And their image is their power. Power. Power!" The Doctor exclaimed, standing up fully.

"Doctor?" Amy asked, confused.

"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn. The crash wasn't an accident - it was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army, and it's waking up," he explained.

"We need to get out of here fast," Ben informed.


	16. Chapter 15

"Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please. Any of you, come in!" Octavian called through his radio.

" _ **It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir,**_ " Bob apologized over the radio.

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you? All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active!" He warned.

" _ **I know, sir. Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir,**_ " Bob informed.

The Doctor took the radio from Octavian, "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor. Where are you now?"

"I'm talking to my..." the Doctor cut Octavian's protesting short.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up!" 

" _ **I'm on my way up to you, sir. I'm homing on your signal,**_ " Bob answered.

I gently took the radio from the Doctor, "Good job, Bob. Scared keeps you fast, told you, didn't I? Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?" I asked.

" _ **Snapped their necks, ma'am,**_ " he answered.

"That's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you; they displace you in time. Unless they needed the bodies for something," the Doctor stated.

Octavian took the radio from me, "Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs? We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

The Doctor took the radio back, "Don't be an idiot! The Angels don't leave you alive!" He exclaimed. I then took the communication from the Doctor.

"Bob, keep running, but tell us, how did you escape?" I asked.

" ** _I didn't escape, ma'am. The Angel killed me, too,_** " he replied.

I shook my head, "W-what do you mean the Angel killed you too?" I asked shakily.

" ** _Snapped my neck, ma'am. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something,_** " he answered.

I bit back tears, "If you're dead, how can we be talking to you?" 

" _ **You're not talking to me, ma'am. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion,**_ " he apologized.

The Doctor carefully took the radio from my shaking hands, "So when you say you're on your way up to us..."

" ** _It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes,_** " Bob confirmed.

"No way out," the Doctor stated.

"Then we get out through the wreckage. Go!" Octavian ordered.

"Go, go, go. All of you run!" The Doctor ordered.

"Doctor?" I asked, looking up at him.

He carefully placed his hands on my cheeks, "I'll be right behind you," he kissed my forehead and handed me to Ben, who then wrapped an arm around my waist, ushering me with everyone else.

"Ben, catch up to River and Amy. I'll be there when the Doctor comes," I ordered.

He sighed and shook his head, "No, you're coming with me."

I shook my head, "No, go!" I shouted.

He huffed and ran after the others, I placed my hand on a railing and went to move, but I couldn't. I tried again, but I got the same result. I huffed and looked at my hand, confused, but my face quickly switched to fear when I saw it was stone.

The Doctor ran past me, "Don't wait for me, go, run," he ordered.

"I can't!" The Doctor walked back over to me, "No, really I can't," I insisted.

"Why not?" He asked, confused.

"Look at my hand! It's stone!" I exclaimed through gritted teeth.

The Doctor started examining me, flashing the torch in my eyes.

"You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?" He inquired, looking into my eyes.

"I couldn't stop myself. I tried," I admitted apologetically.

"Listen. It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone," he informed.

"But it is! Look at it!" I exclaimed.

"It's in your mind. I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go," he assured.

"I can't, okay? I've tried, and I can't. It's stone," I argued with tears forming in my eyes.

The torches light began to flicker.

"The Angel is gonna come, and it's gonna turn this light off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it. So do it, concentrate, move your hand!" He softly ordered.

"I can't," I argued.

"Then we're both going to die," he stated.

"You're not dying," I protested.

"They'll kill the lights," he reminded.

The lights flickered off, and the Angels moved closer.

"You've got to go; you know you have. You've got all that stuff with River, and that's all got to happen. You know you can't die here!" I exclaimed with tears leaking.

"Time can be re-written; it doesn't work like that," he protested.

The lights flickered again, and I turned to look at the Angels.

"Keep your eyes on it. Don't blink," the Doctor instructed.

"Run!" I shouted.

"You see, I'm not going, I'm not leaving you here," he shot back.

"I don't want you to die for me; I'm not that clingy!" 

"You can move your hand," he repeated.

"It's stone!"

"It's not stone!" He exclaimed.

"Those people up there will die without you. If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them," I stated.

"Kyla Pond, you are magnificent. That's why I'm going to do this."

"It's okay. I understand. You've got to leave me," I nodded.

"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you, never," he turned my face to him and smashed his lips on mine. I let go of the railing, grabbing onto his arm before he pulled away with a smile, "See, not stone. Now run!" He yelled grabbing my hand and running down the tunnel towards the others.

"You kissed me!" I shouted, feeling the blush rush up to my cheeks, neck, and ears.

"Yep, and you're alive," he smirked.

"You kissed me! On the lips!"

"Yeah, and you're alive, did I mention?" He asked.

"Blimey! How many women have you kissed!" I asked.

"Alive. All I'm saying," he replied.

_Maze Of The Dead, At The Byzantium,_

The Doctor and I ran into the room where everyone was waiting; I came in beet red, making Amy come over to me.

"What happened to you?" She asked, gesturing to my blush.

"I'll explain later!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves," the Doctor informed.

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Octavian pointed out.

"Which means we can't stay here."

"There are more incoming!" Octavian announced.

"Any suggestions?" River asked, looking between the Doctor and me.

"The statues are advancing on all sides, and we don't have the climbing equipment to reach the _Byzantium,_ " Octavian added.

"There's always a way out," I mumbled, looking around the room. 

The lights flickered out again, and when they came back on, the Angels were closer, almost blocking the passage.

"There's always a way out," the Doctor repeated, looking at me.

" ** _Kyla? Can I speak to Kyla, please?_** " Angel Bob asked over the radio.

Octavian handed me the radio, "Hello, Bob. What's your problem?" I asked.

" _ **Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, ma'am,**_ " he informed.

"Why are you telling us this?" I asked, confused.

" ** _There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end._** "

"Which is?" I asked, even more confused.

" ** _I died in fear. You broke your promise,_** " he stated.

I swallowed, "I'm sorry?"

" _ **You told me you would get everyone out. I died in fear, afraid, in pain, and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down,**_ " he explained.

Amy leaned over to River, "What are they doing?" 

"They're trying to make them both angry," she whispered back.

" _ **I'm sorry, ma'am. The Angels were very keen for you to know that.**_ "

I held the radio in a death grip, "Well, the Angels have made their second mistake because we're not going to let that pass. I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier," I threatened as a single angry tear fell.

" _ **But you're trapped, ma'am, and about to die,**_ " Bob countered.

"Yeah, we're trapped. Speaking of traps, this trap has a huge flaw in it. A great big, whopping mistake!" I shouted, looking at the Doctor with a confident smile.

" _ **What mistake, ma'am?**_ "

The Doctor and I turned to Amy.

"Trust us?" We asked.

"Yeah."

We looked at River, "Trust us?" He asked.

"Always."

I turned to Ben, "I know we just met, but do you trust me?" 

He smiled, "Without a doubt."

I smiled and turned to Octavian and his clerics, "You lot - trust us?" The Doctor asked.

"Sir, two more incoming!" A cleric alerted.

Octavian nodded, "We have faith, sir, ma'am."

"Then give me your gun," I instructed. Octavian handed me his gun, "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do..." the Doctor and I jumped, "jump."

"Jump where?" Octavian asked.

"Just jump as high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On her signal," the Doctor gestured to me.

"What signal?" 

"You won't miss it," I stated, handing the radio to the Doctor as I aimed the gun at the roof.

" ** _Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake?_** " Angel Bob questioned.

"Oh, big mistake. Huge. There are two things you never leave in a trap if you're smart, if you value your continued existence if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there are two things you never, ever put in a trap," the Doctor explained, looking at me with a smirk.

"And what would those be, sir?" 

"A mechanical engineer and me!" We both exclaimed as I shot the gravity globe, making it explode.


	17. Chapter 16

_Maze Of The Dead, At the Byzantium,_

The Doctor stood up and extended his hand down to me, I grabbed it, and he pulled me up. We were all recovering from the jump, and Amy was on the ground.

"Up! Look up!" The Doctor instructed.

"You okay?" River asked Amy.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We jumped," Ben answered.

"Jumped where?" Amy asked.

"Up, up, look up!" The Doctor repeated.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, baffled.

"Exactly where we were," River answered.

"No, we're not."

"Move your feet," the Doctor ordered Amy as he came up behind her.

She moved, and he started using the sonic on a hatch.

Amy looked around, "Kyla, what am I looking at? Explain," she demanded.

"Amy, for real?! The ship crashed with the power still on, so what else is on?" I asked, turning to her.

We were standing on the bottom of the Byzantium.

"The artificial gravity. One jump," I jumped, "and we fell. I shot the grav-globe to give us an updraft, and thankfully it worked!" I cheered.

"Doctor. The statues, they look more like Angels now," Octavian alerted.

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour, they'll be an army," the Doctor replied as the hatch opened up leading into the ship; just ask the lights start going out, "They're taking out the lights. Look at them, look at the Angels. Into the ship, now quickly all of you!" The Doctor ordered as he grabbed my hand and sat on the edge of the hatch.

"But how?" Amy asked before we slid into the hole, "Doctor, Kyla!" 

_Byzantium Corridor,_

"It's just a corridor, jeesh," I rolled my eyes as I looked around the hallway.

"The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you, don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move!" The Doctor explained before using the sonic on the keypad.

The hatch closed once everyone was in the corridor.

"The Angels, presumably they can jump up too?" Octavian inquired.

"They're here. Now. In the dark, we're finished. Run!" The Doctor ordered.

But the large door behind us closed, blocking our way out.

"This whole place is a death trap," Octavian said, pointing out the obvious.

"No, it's a time bomb. Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic," the Doctor stated before noticing no one else was panicking.

The Angels started trying to get in through the exterior door.

"Oh, just me then. What's through here?" The Doctor asked, tapping the sonic on the door.

"Secondary flight deck," River answered.

"Okay. So we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah? So what if the gravity fails?" Amy asked.

My face paled slightly, "I've put some thought to that..."

"And?" Amy asked, turning to me.

River started working on one of the panels.

"We'll plummet to our deaths. See? I've thought about it," I nervously laughed.

"The security protocols are still live. There's no way to override them. It's impossible," the Doctor informed.

"How impossible?" River asked.

"Two minutes."

The hum of the engines powered down and the hatch leading back to the maze opened. 

"The hull is breached, and the power's failing," Octavian alerted.

The lights went out. The arm of an Angel was in the hatch's doorway.

"Sir! Incoming!" A cleric exclaimed.

"Doctor! Lights!" Amy and I exclaimed.

The Doctor used the sonic trying to help River. The lights came on briefly, and an Angel was making its way inside. The lights went out again and came on brighter, showing four Angels inside the corridor.

"Clerics, keep watching them," Octavian demanded.

"And don't look at their eyes. Anywhere else. Not the eyes. I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now," the Doctor assured.

"Good work, Doctor," Octavian praised.

"Yes. Good. Good in many ways, good you like it so far..." the Doctor rambled.

"So far?" Amy asked, confused.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door. I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control," he explained before walking between all of us.

"Good, fine, do it," Octavian hurriedly replied.

I raised a finger, "I'm sensing a 'but.'" 

"Yes, but that includes the lights — all of them. I'll need to turn out the lights," the Doctor informed.

"For how long?" I asked.

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer. Maybe quite a bit longer," he answered, rubbing his face.

"Maybe?" Octavian questioned.

"I'm guessing. We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship; there isn't a manual for this!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Doctor, we lost the torches. We'll be in total darkness," Amy pointed out.

"No other way. Bishop?" The Doctor asked, turning to him.

Octavian turned to River and Ben, "Dr. Song, Ben, I've lost good Clerics today. You trust them?" 

"I absolutely trust them," River nodded.

"I trust them with my life, sir," Ben confirmed.

"They aren't some mad peoples then?" He asked.

"I absolutely trust them," Both River and Ben stated.

I gaped at them, "I'm not crazy, thank you very much,"

"Excuse me," the Doctor smiled and turned back to the door, "Kyla care to help?"

I nodded and walked over to him.

Octavian walked over to River and Ben talking to them in a hushed tone.

"I'm taking your word because you two are the only ones who can manage them. But that only works so long as they don't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell them. Understood?" Octavian harshly asked.

"Understood," River and Ben nodded.

"Okay, Doctor, we've got your back," Octavian announced.

"Bless you, Bishop," the Doctor thanked as we continued to work on the door.

"Combat distance, ten feet. As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shotgun protocol, we don't have bullets to waste," Octavian ordered to his Clerics.

"Kyla, when the lights go down, the wheel should release. Spin it clockwise, four turns," the Doctor instructed and went over to the panel again.

"Ten," I nodded.

"No, four, four turns," he corrected, turning back to me.

"Four, I heard you," I stated and held the door.

"Ready!" The Doctor announced, holding the sonic into the circuit.

"On my count then. God be with us all. Three, two, one," the lights went out, "Fire!" Octavian ordered.

"Turn!" The Doctor ordered.

"Doctor, quickly!" River exclaimed.

"It's opening. It's working," I shouted.

Amy, River, Ben, and I slipped through the opening.

"Fall back!" Octavian ordered.

The Clerics moved through the doorway, followed by Octavian and the Doctor. The Doctor ran down a similar corridor to the other door. He soniced the panel opening the door leading to the flight deck. We all ran through except the Doctor.

_Byzantium Secondary Flight Deck,_

"Come on, Doctor!" I exclaimed, holding my hand out.

He grabbed my hand and ran through the door as it quickly closed behind him. He pulled me behind him as he ran over to the main controls. Wires were exposed everywhere on the console; the Doctor started typing on a keyboard.

"Doctor!" Amy alerted, looking towards the door where the lock was spinning. Octavian ran over and placed a device on it, making the doorstop, "What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"He's magnetizing the door," I answered.

Octavian nodded, "Nothing can turn that wheel now."

"Yeah?" The Doctor questioned as the wheel started turning.

"Dear God!" Octavian exclaimed in horror.

"Ah, now you're getting it! You've bought us time, though, that's good. I am good with time," the Doctor babbled as he walked around the console.

"Doctor," I mumbled as another wheel started turning.

"Seal that door. Seal it now!" Octavian ordered.

A cleric placed the same device on the other door.

"We're surrounded!" Ben announced.

The third door began to spin.

"Seal it, seal that door," Octavian repeated to the other cleric.

He, too, placed a device on the door.

"Doctor, how long have we got?" Octavian asked.

"Five minutes, max," the Doctor answered, concentrated.

"Nine."

The Doctor looked at me, "Five."

I shook my head, "Five, right yeah."

"Why d'you say nine?" 

I looked at him confused, "I didn't."

He looked at me before turning back to what he was working on.

"We need another way out of here," River stated.

"There isn't one," Octavian replied grimly.

"Yeah, there is, course there is. This is a galaxy classed ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So," he snapped his fingers, "what do they need?" He asked, turning to me.

"Of course," River agreed.

"Of course, what? What do they need?" Amy asked, confused.

"Can we get in there?" Octavian asked.

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow. This whole wall should slide up," he stated, going to the wall behind us and pressing himself against it, "There's clamps. Release the clamps!" He ordered, moving the boxes out of the way.

"What's through there? What do they need?" Amy asked, looking towards me.

I shrugged, "I'm just as confused as you for once."

She scoffed and turned back to where the Doctor was.

"They need to breathe," Ben answered.

The Doctor soniced the clamps, releasing them, and the door slowly began to rise, revealing a beautiful forest. The Doctor smiled at us and our awestruck faces.

"No way!" I exclaimed, running next to the Doctor like a kid getting ready to open Christmas presents. 

"But that's... that's a..." Amy stuttered.

"It's an oxygen factory!" I gushed with pure excitement.

"It's a forest," Amy stated.

I scoffed and turned to her, "No, duh, Amy! Trees make oxygen, so it's an oxygen factory," I explained.

"And, if we're lucky, an escape route," the Doctor hoped.

"Eight."

The Doctor's head snapped to look down to look at me. River and Ben also turned to look at me.

"What did you say?" Ben asked.

I looked at him with a shrug, "Nothing," I furrowed my eyebrows at him before looking back at the forest.

"Is there another exit?" The Doctor asked, clapping his hands together, "Scan the architecture. We don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it!" Octavian replied as he walked out into the forest, "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels," he ordered.

"But trees! On a spaceship?" Amy inquired.

"Oh, more than trees, way better than trees. You're going to love this, Kyla," he smiled and walked over to one of the trees, "Treeborgs!" He pulled open a panel revealing circuitry, "Trees plus technology. Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. It is an eco-pod running through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle, on a spaceship, in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?" He asked, turning to Amy as I squealed and ran over to the tree, examining it closely.

I laughed in amusement, "Seven."

The Doctor turned to me quickly, "Seven?" He questioned, coming over to me.

"What?" 

"You said seven," he repeated, looking in my eyes.

River, Ben, and Amy watched closely.

"No. I didn't," I argued.

"Yes, you did," Ben shot back, earning a nod from River.

"Doctor! There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck," Octavian informed.

The Doctor turned to him, "Good, that's where we need to go," he replied before turning back to me.

"Plotting a safe path."

The Doctor continued to study me, "Quick as you like!" 

" _ **Doctor? Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir,**_ " Angel Bob requested over the radio.

The Doctor walked over to the command chair as I leaned on the console with my arms crossed. Ben came over and stood next to me.

"Ah. There you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry, bad subject," the Doctor apologized.

" _ **The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve,**_ " Angel Bob questioned.

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here, consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?" The Doctor asked.

" _ **The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars and worlds beyond.**_ "

"Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?" 

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder.

" _ **We have no need of comfy chairs.**_ "

"I made him say comfy chairs!" The Doctor smiled.

I laughed, "Six."

The Doctor stood up quickly, "Okay, well, enough chat. Here's what I want to know: what have you done to Kyla?" 

" _ **There is something in her eye,**_ " Bob replied.

"What's in her eye?" 

" _ **We are.**_ "

The Doctor walked over to me, looking me in the eyes again, "What's he talking about? I'm five."

Everyone stared at me.

I shook my head, "I mean, five. Fine! I'm fine!" I shouted.

"You're counting," Ben realized.

"Counting?" Amy asked, looking at me.

"You're counting down from ten. You have been for a couple of minutes," the Doctor informed softly.

"Why?" I asked nervously.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied.

"What am I counting down to?" I asked, getting more scared.

"I don't know," the Doctor repeated.

" _ **We shall take her. We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space.**_ "

The Doctor angrily sat down, leaving me standing there with a terrified expression, but Amy came over and hugged me.

"Get a life, Bob. Oops, sorry again. There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much," the Doctor fumed.

" _ **With respect, sir, there is more power on this ship than you yet understand.**_ "

There was a horrible loud screeching.

"Dear God, what is it?" River asked.

"They're back," Octavian alerted.

" ** _It's hard to put in your terms, Dr. Song, but as best I understand it, the Angels are laughing._** "

"Laughing?" The Doctor questioned.

" **Because you haven't noticed yet. The Doctor and The Mother in the TARDIS haven't noticed.** "

"Doctor!" Octavian exclaimed.

The Doctor stood up, "No, wait, there's something... I've..." he slowly turned towards the back wall to see the same glowing crack from my bedroom, "missed."

The Doctor ran over to the wall.

"That's... That's the same crack from our bedroom wall from when we were little girls," I stuttered, stepping back.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed.

_Flashback,_

_The Doctor is examining the crack in Amelia and Kyla's bedroom wall._

_"Two parts of space and time that should never have touched,"_

_Flashback End,_

"Okay, enough; we're moving out!" Octavian ordered.

"Agreed, Doctor?" River asked.

"Yeah, fine!" He stood on top of one of the boxes and started sonicing the crack.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Right with you," he casually stated.

The others had already left, so it was just him and me.

"I'm not leaving without you!" I protested.

"Oh. Yes, you are, Bishop?" He called Octavian over.

"Ma'am, now!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the forest where everyone else was.

"Doctor, come on!" I shouted.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

We all walked through the forest with the clerics around River, Ben, Amy, and me. I started to feel sick, and I started walking slower, and I think Ben and River noticed.

"Kyla?" Ben asked, grabbing my arm carefully, "Kyla, what's wrong?" River and Amy ran over.

"Kyla, what's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Four," I said and swayed slightly, and if it weren't for Ben, I probably would've fallen, but he caught me and carefully sat me on a moss-covered rock. I felt awful and laid down on it.

"Med-scanner, now!" Ben exclaimed. One of the clerics handed him one.

"Ben, Dr. Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving," Octavian reminded.

"We wait for the Doctor," River replied as she looked over Ben's shoulder as he scanned me.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels. Until that is achieved..." River cut him off.

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor is in the room, your only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. And trust us. It's not easy. Now, if he's dead back there, my auntie will never forgive us, and if he's alive, she'll never forgive him. And, Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?" River questioned with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah. And you're aunt seems fond of me," he replied.

I looked at him, "I hate you," I mumbled with a smile.

"You don't. Bishop, the Angels are in the forest," he informed as he came over to me.

"We need visual contact on every line of approach," Octavian ordered.

"How did you get past them?" Amy asked.

"Found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe," the Doctor answered.

"What was it?" I weakly asked.

"The end of the universe. Let's have a look then," he took the scanner from Ben, his face immediately darkening.

"So, what's wrong with me?" I asked.

"Nothing, you're fine," Ben smiled.

"Everything, you're dying," the Doctor flatly stated.

I choked on a sob, "Doctor!" Amy, Ben, and River exclaimed.

"Yes, you're right, if we lie to her, she'll get all better! Right. Kyla! Kyla. What's the matter with Kyla Pond? Something's in her eye. What does that mean anything," the Doctor paced.

"Doctor," I mumbled, holding onto Ben's hand.

"Busy," he replied.

"Scared!" I whisper-yelled.

"Course, you're dying; shut up!" 

I stared at the Doctor with a death glare that said, 'I dare you to say that again,' Ben tried not to laugh, "Let's let him think, shall we?" Ben suggested.

I grumbled slightly before clutching back onto his hand.

The Doctor stood up, "What happened? She stared at the Angel; she looked into the eyes of an angel for too long..."

"Sir! Angel, incoming!" A cleric warned.

"And here," another cleric warned.

"Keep visual contact; do not let it move!" Octavian ordered.

The Doctor paced before slapping his head, "Come on, come on, wakey, wakey! She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and...and..." he stuttered as he gestured wildly.

My face lit up slightly, "The image of an Angel is an Angel," I quoted.

"A living image in a human mind. We stare at them to stop them from getting closer. We don't even blink, and that's exactly what they want, cos as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind," he placed a hand on his mouth before coming like two-inches from my face.

An Angel was in her eye.

"Three. Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die!" I cried.

The Doctor stood up, "Please be quiet, I'm thinking. Now counting, what's that about?" He pulled the radio out, "Bob, why are they making her count?"

" _ **To make her afraid, sir.**_ "

"Okay, but why? What for?" He questioned.

" _ **For fun, sir.**_ "

The Doctor growled and threw the radio before turning back to me.

"Doctor, what's happening? Please explain!" I begged, holding Ben's hand with every ounce of strength I had.

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel," he sat down next to Ben, "It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind, and the Angel is climbing out of it, and it's coming to shut you off," he softly explained.

I nodded, "Then what do I do?" 

The Doctor stood again, "If it was a real screen, what would we do; we'd pull the plug. but we can't just knock her out; the Angel would take over!" He exclaimed frustratedly.

I cocked an eyebrow, "You thought about knocking me out?!" 

"Not now! Then what do we do? Quickly!" Ben demanded.

"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain. We've got to pull the plug, starve the Angel."

"Doctor, she's got seconds," River stated, looking at the scanner.

"How would you starve your lungs?" The Doctor asked.

"I'd stop breathing," Ben answered.

"Kyla, close your eyes!" The Doctor ordered.

I shook my head, "No, I don't want to."

"Good, because that's not you, that's the Angel inside you, it's afraid! Do it! Close your eyes!" The Doctor demanded as he crouched next to me, resting a hand on my head.

I looked up at him, he nodded his head reassuringly, and I closed my eyes. The scanner beeped, and the readings turned green.

"She's normalizing," River sighed in relief, "You did it! You did it!" She cheered.

The Doctor smiled at River and Ben. Amy cried in relief and kissed her baby sister's head.


	18. Chapter 17

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing, 3rd person,_

"Sir? Two more incoming," one of the clerics alerted.

"Three more over here," another warned.

River but away the scanner, "Still weak, dangerous to move her," she informed.

Kyla slowly sat up with Ben's help, "Can I open my eyes now?" She asked.

The Doctor bent down in front of her, "Kyla, listen to me. If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it; we've just sort of... paused it. You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes," he explained.

"Doctor, we're too exposed here. We have to move on," Octavian pointed out.

The Doctor stood straight, "We're exposed everywhere, and Kyla can't move, and anyway, that's not the plan."

Ben had moved to sit next to Kyla, rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"There's a plan?" River asked, looking at the Doctor.

"I don't know yet; I haven't finished talking. Right! Father, you and your Clerics, will stay here, look after Kyla. If anything happens to her, I'll hold each of you personally responsible twice. River, Ben, Amy, and me, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck, which is..." the Doctor licked his finger and held it up, "a quarter-mile straight ahead. We'll stabilize the wreckage. stop the Angels, and cure Kyla." 

"How?" Ben questioned, watching the Doctor bounce around.

"I'll do a thing."

"What thing?" River asked.

"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing. Moving out!" The Doctor announced.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you. My Clerics can look after Miss Pond. These are my best men; they'd lay down their lives in her protection," Octavian assured, walking up to the Doctor.

"I don't need you," the Doctor flatly replied.

"I don't care. Where Dr. Song and Ben goes, I go," Octavian shot back.

The Doctor looked between River and Octavian, "You two engaged or something?" 

"Yes, in a manner of speaking. Marco, you're in charge till I get back," Octavian announced.

"Sir!" Marco confirmed.

Kyla sighed, "Doctor... can I come with you?" 

"You'd slow us down, ma'am," Octavian answered.

She huffed, "I don't want to be rude, but you'd really speed me up."

The Doctor sat down next to her, "You'll be safer here. We can't protect you on the move. I'll be back for you soon as I can. I promise," he softly assured.

She looked straight ahead, "You always say that," she sadly stated.

"I always come back," he kissed her temple before standing up, "Good luck everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Kyla later," he tapped her nose before following the others, "River, going to need your computer! Amy!" 

Kyla sighed, "Yep, later." 

She fidgeted with the locket on her necklace as she softly hummed 'Lavender Blue' to help her calm down before hands grabbed her's. 

"Kyla, you need to start trusting me; it's never been more important," the Doctor stated.

"But you don't always tell me the truth," She replied.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."

She nodded, "Doctor, the crack in my wall, how can it be here?" She asked softly.

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out. Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were four?" He asked, placing his forehead on her's.

"What did you tell me?" She asked, trying to remember.

"No, no... That's not the point. You have to remember. Now, when we are back on the Tardis after all of this, go up to me and do this because I'm too much of chicken to do it again, okay?" 

She laughed slightly, "Okay?" He carefully placed a hand on her cheek and ran his thumb over her cheekbone before firmly placing his lips on hers. She hummed slightly and placed her hand on top of his before he pulled away with a smile.

"Now, remember," he tapped her nose and left.

Kyla laughed slightly with a pink tint to her cheeks, "Definitely remembering that," she gasped slightly, "I've been kissed twice in one day! Ha-ha!" She cheered.

_Byzantium Forest, Path,_

Octavian is leading River, Ben, Amy, and the Doctor through the forest. There was beeping, and the Doctor checked River's device.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Reading from the crack in a wall," he replied.

"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?" River asked.

"Here's what I think. One day there'll be a very big bang, so big every moment in history - past and future - will crack," the Doctor theorized.

"Is that possible? How?" River questioned.

"How can you be engaged in a manner of speaking?" Amy asked.

"Well...sucker for a man in uniform," she smiled.

Octavian walked over, "Dr. Song and Ben are in my personal custody. I released them from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago, and I am legally responsible for them until they have accomplished their mission and earned their pardons. Just so we understand each other," Octavian almost spat.

"You were in Stormcage?" The Doctor asked, looking between Ben and River before the device beeped.

"What? What is that?" River asked.

"The date! The date of the explosion where the crack begins," he answered.

"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?" Amy questioned.

A date appeared at the bottom of the device's screen, 26/06/2010.

"The Ponds' time," the Doctor mumbled to River and Ben.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla was going bored out of her mind, just sitting with her eyes closed.

"So, anything exciting happening?" She questioned.

"The Angels are still grouping," Marco replied.

One of the Angels reached into a tree and pulled the wires causing the lights to flicker.

"Are you getting this too?" Marco asked the other clerics.

"The trees? Yeah," one of them confirmed.

"What? What's wrong with the trees?" Kyla asked, alarmed.

"Here too, sir. They're ripping the Treeborgs apart," another cleric informed.

"And here. They're taking out the lights," the first cleric added.

"What's happening? Tell me. I can't see remember!" I demanded.

"It's the trees, ma'am. The trees are going out," Marco answered.

The Angels were taking advantage of the flickering lights and began to advance.

_Byzantium Forest, Outside Primary Flight Deck,_

The Doctor is taking readings from the handheld as Octavian, Ben, and Amy look for a way in, and River was standing guard.

"It doesn't open it from here, but it's the Primary Flight Deck. This has got to be a service hatch or something," Octavian informed.

"Hurry up and open it. Time's running out," River groaned.

"What? What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?" The Doctor asked, annoyed.

"Yeah. I just meant..." the Doctor cut her off.

"I know what you meant. Hush! But what if it could?" The Doctor questioned to himself.

"What if what could?" Ben asked, looking over his shoulder as he worked on the service hatch.

"Time. What if time could run out?" The Doctor asked aloud.

"Got it!" Ben announced.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"Angels advancing, sir," a cleric warned.

"Over here, again," another confirmed.

"Weapons primed. Combat distance of five feet. Wait for it!" Marco ordered.

Kyla stood up, concerned, "What is it? What is happening? Just tell me!" I bellowed.

"Keep your position and, ma'am, keep your eyes shut!" Marco ordered, "Wait!" 

A bright light appeared and spread. Marco looked toward it.

"The ship's not on fire, is it?" He questioned.

The second cleric turned to the light, "It can't be. The compressors would have taken care of it," he stated.

All the clerics were looking at the light while Kyla stood helplessly in the middle.

The second cleric turned back to his position, "Marco, the Angels have gone. Where'd they go?" He questioned.

"What, the Angels?" Kyla asked.

"This side's clear too, sir," the third cleric informed.

"The Angels couldn't have just left?" She questioned.

"There's still movement out there, but away from us now. It's like they're running," Marco stated, looking at his handheld.

"Running? What are they running from?" She asked.

"Philip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that," Marco ordered, motioning for them to move forward.

The two clerics headed towards the light.

"What are you all looking at? What's there?" She questioned again, completely helpless.

Philip and Crispin disappeared over the hill.

_Byzantium Forest, Outside Primary Flight Deck,_

"Cracks in time, time running out... No, couldn't be. How is a duck pond, a duck pond, if there aren't any ducks? And she didn't recognize the Daleks! Okay, time can shift. Time can change. Time can be rewritten. Ah! Oh!" The Doctor rambled until he came upon a realization.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"It's like, I don't know...a curtain of energy, sort of shifting. Makes you feel weird, sick," Marco terribly described.

Kyla sighed inwardly before verbally speaking, "You think it scared the Angels?"

"What could scare those things?" A cleric asked skeptically.

Kyla slowly turned nervous, shaking through her body.

"What are you doing?" Marco asked.

"Point me at the light," she demanded.

"You can't open your eyes," he reminded.

"Yes, I know, but I can for just a second; that's what the Doctor said. Still got a bit of countdown left," she countered.

"Ma'am, you can't," he insisted.

"I need to see it!" She exclaimed with a huff, "Am I looking the right way? I have to make this as quick as possible."

Marco grabbed her arms and turned her towards the light, "Very quick!" He reminded.

She heaved a heavy breath, "Okay," she opened her eyes to see the 'w' shaped crack, "It's the same shape! It's the crack in my wall."

"Close your eyes. Now!" Marco ordered.

"It's following us! How can it be following us?" She fumed before stumbling to her knees. Marco supported her, pushing his hand over her eyes, forcing her to close them.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. It was the same shape," she mumbled.

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" The other cleric asked.

"Go for it. Don't get too close," Marco warned.

"Wait! What about the other two? Just wait 'til they get back?" Kyla suggested.

"What other two?" Marco asked her, confused.

"The ones you sent before," she clarified.

"I didn't send anyone before," Marco denied.

"Yes, you did! I heard you! Crispin and Philip," she protested.

"Crispin and who?" 

Kyla scrunched her face up in confusion and concern.

_Byzantium Forest, Outside Primary Flight Deck,_

"Dr. Song, Ben, get through, now," Octavian ordered.

The Doctor was doing calculations in the air, "Doctor? Doctor?" Octavian asked, trying to get his attention.

"Time can be unwritten," the Doctor semi smiled. 

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"Kyla, there never was a Crispin or a Philip on this mission, I promise you," Marco assured the young woman.

Kyla growled, "No, I heard you! Before you sent Pedro, you sent Crispin and Philip, and now you can't remember them! Something happened. I don't know what, and you don't even remember!" She bellowed at him.

"Pedro?" He asked, confused.

She sighed, "Yes, before you sent Pedro."

"Who's Pedro?" 

_Byzantium Forest, Outside Primary Flight Deck,_

"It's been happening, and I haven't even noticed!" The Doctor stated.

"Doctor, we have to move," Octavian reminded.

"The CyberKing! A giant cyberman walks over all of Victorian London, and no-one remembers," the Doctor continued to ramble.

"We have to move it! The Angels could be here any second," Octavian warned, placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor shrugged his hand off, "ever mind the Angels. There's worse here than Angels!"

The lights went out, and the Doctor turned to see an Angel had its arm around Octavian's neck.

"I beg to differ, sir," Octavian gasped slightly.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the Angel, "Let him go."

"Well, it can't let me go, sir, not while you're looking at it," Octavian replied snarkily.

"I can't stop looking at it. It'll kill you."

"It'll kill me anyway. There's no way out of this. You have to leave me," Octavian rasped.

"Can't you wriggle out?" The Doctor asked, his gaze not wavering from the Angel's.

"No. It's too tight. There's nothing you can do."

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"Something is happening! Pedro was here a second ago, and now you can't remember him!" Kyla shouted at Marco.

"There never was a Pedro. There's only been the two of us here!" Marco denied once again.

"No, there were five of us! Why can't you remember?" She snapped back.

"Listen, listen. I need to get a closer look at that light, whatever it is. Don't worry; I won't get too close," he tried to assure.

"Please don't!" She replied, quickly grabbing his arm.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a communicator, "Here, spare communicator," he pressed it into her hands, "I'll stay in touch the whole time," he promised.

"You won't. If you go back there, what happened to the others will happen to you!" She insisted.

"There weren't any others!" He denied again.

"There won't be any YOU if you go back there!" 

"Two minutes, I promise," he stood up and left towards the light.

Kyla let out an annoyed growl, "Just listen to me!" 

Kyla now sat alone in the clearing.

"Please don't leave me alone," she mumbled as a few tears slid down her cheeks.

_Byzantium Forest, Outside Primary Flight Deck,_

"Sir, there's nothing you can do," Octavian insisted.

"You're dead if I leave you," the Doctor countered.

"Yes, yes, I'm dead. And before you go..." the Doctor cut him off.

"I'm not going!" 

"Listen to me. It's important! You can't trust them," he rasped out.

"Trust who?" The Doctor asked.

"River Song, and Benjamin River. You think you know them, but you don't. You don't understand who or what they are," Octavian warned.

"Then tell me." 

"I've told you more than I should. Now, please, you have to go. It's your duty to your friends," Octavian reasoned.

"Just tell me why they were in Stormcage?" 

"She killed a man, a good man, a hero to many. And he killed a woman, a powerful woman, a caretaker to many," Octavian answered.

"Who?" The Doctor asked.

"You don't want to know, sir. You really don't." 

"Who did they kill?" The Doctor repeated.

"Sir, the Angels are coming. You have to leave me," Octavian insisted again.

"You'll die," the Doctor said sadly.

"I will die in the knowledge that my courage did not desert me at the end. For that, I thank God and bless the path that takes you to safety."

"I wish I'd known you better."

"I think, sir, you know me at my best," Octavian replied.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked.

Octavian closed his eyes, "Content."

The Doctor crawled through the hatch and closed it behind him.


	19. Chapter 18

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"There's a teleport! If I can get it to work, we can beam the others here," Ben notified as he worked on cables.

"Where's Octavian?" River asked.

"Octavian's dead, so is that teleport. You're wasting your time. I'm going to need your communicator," the Doctor flatly stated, taking it from River.

River looked down sadly as Ben growled with an eye roll before working on the teleport again, despite what the Doctor said.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla held the radio firmly in her hand, "Hello, are you there?" She asked softly into the communicator, waiting for Marco to reply.

" _I'm here. I'm fine. I'm quite close to it now,_ " Marco replied over the communicator.

Kyla threw her head back in relief, "Then come back! Please, come back!" She pleaded, dreading the feeling of being entirely alone.

" _It's weird looking at it. It feels really..._ " Marco got cut off by static.

"Really what? Hello? Really what? Hello? Hello? Hello? Please say you're there! Hello? Hello!" She yelled into the communicator.

" _Kyla? Kyla, is that you?_ " The Doctor's voice asked over the communicator.

Kyla let out a sob, "Doctor?" 

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"Doctor?" Kyla chocked out over the communicator. 

The Doctor's face dropped, "Kyla, what's wrong? Where are you? Are the Clerics with you?" 

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"They're gone. There was a light, and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't remember each other, and now I'm alone," Kyla sobbed to him.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

Amy's expression was saddened having to hear her sister cry due to her being alone; it's always been her biggest fear.

The Doctor sighed, "No. They wouldn't."

"What is that light?" River asked the Doctor.

"Time running out," he replied, "Kyla, I'm sorry. I should never have left you there," the Doctor sadly apologized.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla sniffled slightly, drawing in shaky breaths, "What do I do now?" She hiccuped.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"You come to me. Primary Flight Deck, other end of the forest," the Doctor answered.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"Oh, that should be easy! Oh, wait! I can't see! I can't open my eyes!" Kyla sarcastically hissed.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

The Doctor rolled his eyes before using the screwdriver on the communicator, "Turn on the spot," he instructed.

" _Sorry?_ "

"Just do it. Turn on the spot," he demanded softly.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla shakily stood as the communicator started making a 'whooping' noise, " _When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver, you're facing the right way. Follow the sound,_ " he explained.

Kyla turned in a circle and listened for the familiar sound.

" _You have to start moving now,_ " the Doctor ordered, " _There's time energy spilling out of that crack, and you have to stay ahead of it._ "

"But the Angels, they're everywhere," she reminded.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you," the Doctor growled the last part.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla shakily started walking, "What does the time energy do?" 

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"Just keep moving!" The Doctor ordered.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"Just tell me!" She demanded.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"If the Time Energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all," the Doctor snapped as an answer," he snapped as an answer.

The Doctor closed his eyes tightly, "Now, keep your eyes shut and keep moving!"

"It's never going to work," River stated.

The Doctor growled, "What else have you got? River, tell me!" He bellowed at her making everyone jump.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla slowly made her way down the dirt path.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

A loud whooshing and clanging began.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"The Angels running from the fire. They came here to feed on the time energy. Now it's going to feed on them," the Doctor smirked before pulling the communicator to his mouth again, "Kyla, listen to me."

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

" _I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver till the beeping stops,_ " the Doctor explained.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"Because, Amy, this is important," he continued.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

" _The forest is full of Angels._ "

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

The Doctor closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "You're going to have to walk like you can see."

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"What do you mean?" Kyla asked.

" _Look, just keep moving,_ " the Doctor ordered.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"That time energy, what's it going to do?" River asked.

"Er, keep eating," the Doctor answered and rubbed his face.

"How do we stop it?" Amy asked.

"Feed it," he answered.

"Feed it what?" Ben asked from under the console.

"A big complicated space-time event should shut it up for a while," the Doctor answered, growing more annoyed.

"Like what, for instance?" River questioned.

"Like me, for instance!" The Doctor shouted.

A high-pitched beeping echoed through the flight deck.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

"What is that?"

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"It's a warning. There are Angels 'round you now," the Doctor alerted, pressing the communicator to his nose.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

The lights flash, and Kyla is surrounded by Angels.

" _Kyla, listen to me. This is going to be hard, but I know..._ "

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"...you can do it. The Angels are scared..." 

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

" _...and running and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them, and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see,_ " the Doctor assured.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

"Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see. You're not moving. You have to do this," the Doctor insisted.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

Kyla stood between two Angels.

" _Now._ " 

Kyla sucked in a breath.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

The Doctor banged his hand on the instrument panel, "You have to do this!" He exclaimed.

_Byzantium Forest, Clearing,_

The communicator beeped slowly. Kyla turned unknowingly towards an Angel, it beeped quickly, and she turned to face the other way she was. She slowly walked forward and turned again, only to hear the communicator's beeping speed up once more. She changed direction and moved forward until she tripped on a root, falling to the ground, dropping the communicator. She started breathing heavily as she felt around in the dirt but couldn't find it.

"Doctor, I can't find the communicator! I dropped it! I can't find it, Doctor!" She panicked as she frantically felt around, "Doctor..." she begged. Angels began to move, "Doctor! Doctor..." she gave up and stood up, she turned only to come face-to-face with an Angel as it reached for her. Kyla is engulfed in bright light.

_Byzantium, Primary Flight Deck,_

Kyla appeared on the flight deck and started to fall over, but Ben quickly caught her.

"Don't open your eyes. You're on the Flight Deck; the Doctor's here. I teleported you," Ben explained before turning to the Doctor with a smug face, "See? Told you I could get it working."

"Benjamin, I could bloody kiss you!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Ben awkwardly laughed, "Uh, please don't." 

An alarm blared.

"What's that?" Amy asked as she walked over to Kyla. 

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power, which means... the shield's going to release," the Doctor answered, looking to the door on the back wall.

The clamps released on the door, and it slowly raised, revealing a large number of Angels. The Doctor took a step forward; River and Ben stood protectively around Amy and Kyla. The Angel in the middle of the front row held a communicator.

"Angel Bob, I presume," the Doctor inquired.

" _ **The Time Field is coming. It will destroy our reality,**_ " Angel Bob warned.

"Yeah, and look at you, all running away. What can I do for you?" The Doctor questioned.

" _There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved._ "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could do, could do that. But why?" The Doctor asked further.

" _ **Your friends would also be saved.**_ "

The Doctor tilted his head, "Well, there is that."

River moved over to the Doctor, "I've traveled in time. I'm a complicated space/time event, too. Throw me in," she suggested.

"Oh, be serious! Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every one of them to amount to me, so get a grip," the Doctor casually replied, not looking at her.

"Doctor, I can't let you do this," River protested.

"No, seriously, get a grip," the Doctor repeated.

"You're not going to die here!" Ben exclaimed.

"No, I mean it. River, Ben, Amy, Kyla, get a grip," the Doctor repeated.

River and Ben realized his plan, "Oh, you genius!" River praised and went to Amy while Ben went to Kyla.

" _ **Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now.**_ "

"Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship, every last bit of it. And you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels..." the Doctor trailed off.

"You hold on tight, and don't you let go for anything," Ben warned, placing Kyla's hand onto a handle before gripping the one River and Amy were holding. 

"Night-night," the Doctor turned around and grabbed a handle.

The gravity failed due to the loss of power. The deck turned on its side, and the five of them hung on for dear life as the Angels were sucked into the crack. With a burst of light, the crack in the secondary flight deck closed.

_Beach, Dawn, Normal POV,_

I sat on a rock, wrapped in a blanket with the Doctor standing in front of me with his hands behind his back.

I threw my head back with a groan, "I'm bruised everywhere."

"Me too," the Doctor nodded.

I laughed, "At least you didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut."

"Neither did you, I kept saying. The Angels all fell into the time field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now," he stated and placed a soft hand on my cheek.

I smiled, "Then why do I remember it all? The clerics on the ship didn't remember each other," I asked.

"You're a time traveler now, Kyla. Changes the way you see the universe forever. Good, isn't it?" The Doctor questioned with a smile.

I giggled, "And the crack. Is that gone too?" 

"Yeah, for now. But the explosion that caused it is still happening... somewhere out there, somewhere in time," he looked out to the ocean.

I stood up and placed the blanket on the rock. I walked up next to him and put my hand in his before leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for saving me," I smiled.

"I'd do anything for you."

I looked up at him, "Anything?" 

He nodded, "Anything."

I smirked and moved, so my chin sat on his chest as I looked up at him, "Anything?" I repeated.

He playfully rolled his eyes, "Yes, anything."

"Good," I stood on my tippy toes and pushed my lips onto his, catching him off guard.

_With River, Amy, and Ben,_

"It's about time!" Amy exclaimed as they watched Kyla and the Doctor kiss a few feet ahead of them.

Ben smiled and leaned over to River, "It's weird seeing them this early in a relationship, but I definitely don't want to see that," he laughed.

River laughed, "I agree, but it's nice knowing how the future turns out for them."

Amy turned to them, "What'd you say?" 

They shook their heads with innocent smiles, "Spoilers."

Amy groaned.

_With Kyla and The Doctor,_

"What was that for?" The Doctor asked once we pulled away.

I shrugged, "Just felt like it."

He laughed and kissed my head before going over to River. 

I smirked and nodded, "Yep, I just did that." I walked over to where Ben was standing.

_With The Doctor and River,_

"You, me...handcuffs," River held her hands up, "Must it always end this way?" 

"What now?" The Doctor asked, walking in front of her.

"The prison ship's in orbit. They'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see," River answered.

"Octavian said you killed a man and that Ben killed a woman," he stated, turning to her.

River's smile faded slightly, "Yes, I did. A good man. A very good man. The best man I've ever known. And Ben well, that's a story for him to tell," she replied, looking towards Ben and Kyla.

_With Ben and Kyla,_

"So, I guess this is good-bye?" I asked, walking up to Ben.

He nodded, "For now, you'll see me soon enough," he smiled.

I laughed, "Good. But I can't help but wonder you, and I just met today, but it feels like I've known you my whole life, care to explain?" I pondered, tilting my head slightly.

He chuckled, "Spoilers... I would tap your nose, but..." he held up his handcuffed hands, "...I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

I smiled, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you in prison?"

His smile faded slightly, "I killed a woman. An amazing woman. The most amazing woman I've ever known."

I nodded, "I'm sorry. What do you do now?" 

He sighed, "Hopefully, this mission was enough to earn me my pardon."

I smiled and hugged him, "I hope it does; you're too nice for prison," I teased and pulled away.

He beamed at me, "Thank you, but it's my time to go," he leaned over, "I'll see you again when the Pandorica opens," and with that, he was enveloped in a 'dust' tornado, and he no longer stood in front of me.

_With The Doctor and River, Most likely a few minutes before,_

"Who?" 

She chuckled, "It's a long story, Doctor, can't be told. It has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well, except for this one: you'll see me again quite soon when the Pandorica opens."

"The Pandorica, ha!" He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "That's a fairy tale."

River laughed, "Oh, Doctor, aren't we all? I'll see you there."

"I look forward to it," the Doctor smiled.

"I remember it well," River smiled.

The Doctor chuckled and walked away slightly. Amy went over to River.

"Bye, River," Amy smiled.

"See you, Amy," her handcuffs beeped, "Oh! I think that's my ride."

"Can I trust you? River Song and Benjamin River?" The Doctor asked, turning to her.

"If you'd like, but where's the fun in that?" She laughed and got teleported away.

_Normal POV,_

The Doctor turned and looked out over the ocean. Amy and I walked over to him, and we were both wrapped in the blanket I had.

"What are you thinking?" Amy asked, looking at him.

"Time can be rewritten," he smiled.

_Tardis,_

The Doctor was at the console while Amy sat in the jumpseat with her arms crossed, while I laid on the floor like a starfish.

"I want to go home," Amy suddenly stated.

I tilted my head up to look at her, "Okay," the Doctor said softly.

Amy smiled and joined him, "No, not like that! I just... I just want to show you something. You're running from River. I'm running too," Amy explained.

I laughed, "'Bout time you're going to tell him."

She groaned and walked over, so she stood over me, "Like you're one to talk, you've got a whole..." I cut Amy off by kicking her shine, "OW!" 

I laughed evilly and stared at the ceiling again.

_Amy's Room, Night,_

The Tardis materialized in the corner of her room. The Doctor and Amy sat on her bed, looking at the closet where her wedding gown hung.

"Well!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Amy agreed.

"Blimey!" 

"I know. This is the same night we left, yeah?" Amy asked.

The Doctor checked his watch, "We've been gone five minutes." 

Amy leaned over, and grabbed a ring box, and opened it, "I'm getting married in the morning."

The Doctor took the box from her, "Why did you leave it here?" 

"Why did I leave my engagement ring when I ran away with a strange man the night before my wedding?"

"Yeah," the Doctor replied.

"You really are an alien, aren't you?" Amy questioned.

"Who's the lucky fella?" 

"You met him," Amy replied with a smile.

"Ah, the good-looking one or the other one?" He asked as he mimed a nose.

"The other one," Amy deadpanned.

"Well, he was good too," the Doctor quickly stated.

"Thanks. So, do you comfort a lot of people on the night before their wedding?"

"Why would you need comforting?" The Doctor asked, looking at her oddly.

_With Kyla,_

When the Tardis materialized, I immediately ran to my bedroom. I threw the door open and smiled at the familiar setting, but my smile quickly vanished when I saw the huge pile of clothes lying on the floor begging to be washed. I rolled my eyes and pulled out a backpack from my closet. I went around my room grabbing things I wanted back on the Tardis, like my laptop, my sketchbook, and pencils, my favorite fuzzy blanket, my pillow, and yes, my stuffed dog; I bring it everywhere. I stuffed everything into my bag, and I went to go out of my room but stopped when I remembered my journal. I went back over to my oak desk and picked up the old book. I started heading back when I heard a 'thud' from Amy's room. I squinted my eyes and made my way to her door. 

I placed my hand on the cool metal knob and pushed the door open. My face changed between anger and sadness when I saw Amy pressed up against the Doctor, sucking his face off! Granted, he didn't look like he wanted... that, but how would I know? I left before trying to figure out what was going on. I threw my journal to the ground, which caused a loud 'thwack' against the wooden floorboards. Amy jumped away from the Doctor when she heard it. She quickly scanned the room and paled when she saw the blue journal lying on the floor along with loud footsteps coming from the stairs.

I stormed down the staircase, mumbling insults. I heard a set of feet coming down the hallway upstairs, and I booked it out of the house, with Amy calling my name behind me. I ran down the streets with tears running. I ran to the only pub in Leadworth, where Rory was having his Stag party. 

_With The Doctor and Amy,_

"Look at what you've done, Amelia!" The Doctor shouted.

Amy looked down at her feet, "I know," she mumbled as she gripped Kyla's journal tightly in her hands.

"Come on," the Doctor gripped her hand tightly and pulled her back to the Tardis. 

He pushed her into the Tardis and looked at her clock, '11:59 6/25' switch to '12:00 6/26'

_Flashback,_

_"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?" River asked._

_"The Ponds' Time!"_


	20. Get Out Of The Cake

I ran through our small village of Leadworth with tears trickling down my cheeks. I was running to the only pub in the whole village, where Rory was having his Stag party. I approached the front of the building and noticed a fake cake with a girl standing next to it. I squinted my eyes at her and recognized her as Lucy. I always see her walking around at the shops. 

I quickly wiped my face and walked over to her, "Hey, Lucy!" I greeted as I approached.

She smiled, "Hey, Kyla! What brings you here at this hour?"

I laughed slightly, "Actually, Rory's Stag party is tonight, and I need to discuss something with him."

She nodded, "Okay, hope it works out for you," she smiled and turned to the cake.

I watched her climb into the cake, and it clicked in my head; I gagged slightly, "Uh, Lucy?" 

"Yeah?" She replied, lifting the bottom.

"How much for you to get out of the cake?" I asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

"How much money for you to get out of the cake?" 

"Uh, none. It's my job."

I groaned, "Look, that cake is the only way I can get into that party undetected, and I'll have his undivided attention," I explained.

"Sorry to disappoint, but my answer is still no."

I growled, "Get out of the cake," I demanded.

She scoffed, "No!"

"Get. Out. Of. The. Cake," I seethed.

She gulped and clambered out. I smiled happily and sat my bag on the ground. I took out an old jumper that I don't even like and handed it to her since she was only in a bikini.

"You might want this," she smiled shyly and gingerly took it from me before slipping it over her head. 

"Thanks; I guess good luck?" She smiled back.

I nodded, "No problem." I waved to her and slid under the cake.


	21. Chapter 19

_Venice 1580,_

A regal woman of nobility sits on a throne with a young man, also dressed as a noble, stands behind her. A man by the name of Guido approaches with his daughter Isabella. The man bowed, and the woman curtseyed.

"Signora, your school offers a chance for betterment, escape. My daughter," he nervously removed his cap and took a few steps forward, "Isabella is 17 now, but what prospects are there for the daughter of a boat-builder? There's no future for us. No future but you," he pleaded to the Signora.

"I am moved by your concern for your daughter," she looked at the man behind her, "I believe protecting the future of one's own is a sacred duty."

Both their heads snapped back to the man and woman in front of them as he began speaking, "Signora," he took his daughter's hand, "she is my world."

"Then we will take your world," the signora smiled.

Guido and Isabella laughed with relief and hugged each other.

"I knew it!" He said into the crook of her neck.

The signora stood from her throne, "Say goodbye to your daughter." 

"Now, signora?" He asked with disappointment.

"Why wait? Time ticks," she replied.

The signora nodded to the man who escorted the two in, and he went to lead Guido away.

"Be, brave my girl," Guido kissed his daughter's hand, "Make me proud," he hesitantly went with the man to be escorted away.

"Step into the light, my dear," Isabella slowly walked forward until the sun shone on her as she watched her father leave before the door they walked through slammed shut. "That's it," the signora praised.

The signora and the younger man began to circle Isabella.

"What say you, Francesco? Do you like her?" The Signora asked, stepping out of the light.

"Oh, I do, Mother," he looked at Isabella with every word, "I do," he opened his mouth to show a row of fangs making Isabella scream.

_Pub,_

It's Rory's stag night, and he's trying to call Amy,

"Hey...! It's me! Hello! How are you?" Rory exclaimed over the loud background into the phone.

_Amy's House, Bedroom,_

Rory's call has gone straight to the answer-phone.

" _The reason for this call is because I haven't told you for seven hours that I love you, which is a scandal, and even if we weren't getting married tomorrow, I'd ask you to marry me anyway,_ "

_Pub,_

"Yes, I would, because you are smashing," he complimented. 

Behind him, a large cake was being wheeled out, and 'The Stripper' began playing. His mates poked him, and he turned, still on the phone.

"Oh. Oh. Oh, blimey. I've. I've. I-I-I I'll see you tomorrow," Rory stuttered as he hung up.

"Out! Out! Out!" Everyone chanted.

_Inside The Cake,_

_Blimey, no wonder Lucy can fit in this thing!_ I groaned mentally as I was squished into this stupid stripper cake thing.

"Out! Out! Out!" Everyone in the room chanted.

I groaned, _"Pigs! All of them are pigs! Men, seriously all of 'em!"_

I pushed out of the top of the cake.

_Pub,_

Kyla popped her head out of the cake. The chanting stopped, and the music continued. Rory shook his head in disbelief, and she looked around disgusted.

She stood up straight, "Rory! Hello! Hi!" She awkwardly waved to everyone, and the music came to a halt, "Now, Rory. We have to talk about your fiancee!" 

Rory smiled and looked at his shirt, which had a picture of him and Amy in a love heart.

"She kissed the Doctor!" Kyla exclaimed, making everyone gasp.

The door to the pub opened, and in came the Doctor.

"To clarify, she tried to kiss me," the Doctor stated, making everyone gasp again. He looked around, "Tell you what, though. You're a lucky man - she's a great kisser," someone dropped their glass, and everyone stared at him. Kyla looked at him with a look that could kill, "Funny how you can say something in your head, and it SOUNDS fine..." he trailed off when Kyla lept out of the cake and charged at him, he screamed and ran out the door with Kyla hot on his heels.

_Tardis,_

The Doctor sat in his harness seat in the space underneath the Tardis console doing some welding work. Amy was pacing, biting her nail looking between Rory and me. I was sitting in the jumpseat with a permanent scowl with my legs crossed and arms crossed.

"Oh! The life out there, it dazzles. I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans," Rory watched nervously as the Tardis made a small explosion making him jump, "Ohhh! It's meant to do that," the Doctor informed before continuing, "because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back, it WILL tear you apart. So, I'm sending you somewhere. Together."

"Whoa! What, like a date?" Amy asked.

"Anywhere you want, any time you want," he described as he walked under the floor to the stairs and joined us by the console, "One condition - it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890! The first Olympic Games! Think of it as a wedding present, because, frankly, it's either this or tokens," he looked at Rory's stunned expression. He bounded up the stairs leading to a hall, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain," the Doctor exclaimed.

"It's another dimension."

The Doctor started down the stairs but stopped, " It's basically another dimen... What?" 

"After Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories; FTL travel, parallel universes," Rory explained.

"I like the bit when someone says, 'It's bigger on the inside!' I always look forward to that," the Doctor walked the rest of the way down the stairs, so he was face-to-face with Rory. 

I scoffed, making him turn to me, "It's bigger on the inside," I mocked with a high-pitched voice.

The Doctor walked over to me and crouched in front of me, "I didn't mean to upset you," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, well, next time you kiss someone and lead them on to thinking you actually like them, don't go and kiss their sister!" I hissed and stood up, walking under the console, and plopped down on the harness swing. 

The Doctor sighed, and Amy cleared her throat, trying to change the subject, "So, this date. I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?" She asked as she walked around the console.

"How about somewhere, romantic?" The Doctor suggested as he pulled a lever making the Tardis jolt slightly.

_Venice, Day, Marketplace,_

The Tardis materialized in the middle of a busy market, and no one took notice. The Doctor was the first person to exit. 

He outstretched his arms, "Venice! Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city. Preposterous city!" He introduced with excitement. 

Amy and Rory walked out and looked around in amazement. I walked out after them with a small frown; even though this was really cool, I couldn't help but be upset at both the Doctor and Amy. 

"Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the marsh but became one of the most powerful cities in the world," the Doctor explained as we started to walk through the marketplace, "Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly. Just beautiful! Oh, you gotta love Venice. And so many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Oooh, that reminds me," he checked his watch, "1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for 145 years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken," he mumbled.

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory asked, confused.

"Long story. We had a bet," the Doctor replied as we walked down an alley.

We were stopped by an official dressed in black, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection," he requested.

The Doctor held up his psychic paper, "There you go, fella," the official took it from him, "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."

The official looked between the four of us before he bowed, "I am so sorry, Your Holiness. I didn't realize," he apologized.

The Doctor took his paper back from him, "No worries. You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?" 

"Checking for aliens, visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them," the official answered.

"Oh, that's nice. See where you bring me?" Amy slapped the Doctor's arm, making me growl slightly, "The plague!"

"Don't worry, Viscountess," Amy nodded with a dramatic sigh. Rory looked at her before slightly scoffing, "No, we're under quarantine here, no-one comes in, no-one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri," the official pointed to the crest on the box he was carrying.

"How interesting. I heard the plague died out years ago," I pointed out while crossing my arms.

"Not out there. No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."

I tilted my head, "Did she, now?"

Rory reached over and grabbed the psychic paper from the official. He looked at it, and his eyes bugged out as the Doctor and Amy walked ahead of us. I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. I gasped and glared at the back of the Doctor's head.

"According to this, I am your eunuch!" Rory exclaimed.

"You had me as your consort!" I bellowed.

The Doctor got a scared look on his face, and Amy turned to Rory, "I'll explain later." 

"I hate you," I sneered as I brushed past the Doctor.

He stared at the back of my head before replying, "No, you don't!" 

_Calvierra School,_

Young women are lined up in two rows, all wearing white gowns of varying designs. An older woman, most likely a teacher, walks to the head of the procession.

"Veils down, girls," she instructed.

I walked ahead of everyone and was leaning on a railing when the Doctor bounded up next to me, leaning over the railing. Next came Amy and Rory, she giggled at the Doctor, and he smiled back. Rory was still staring at the stupid psychic paper. We watched as the women walked until a man ran up to them.

"What do you want?" The older woman questioned, trying to block him from the girls.

He began lifting the veils, making them hiss, "Isabella! Isabella!" He lifted another veil and found her, but she backed away from him, "It's me!" 

One of the other girls came over and hissed at him, showing off a row of fangs. The man fell to the ground.

"Girls, come along!" The older woman ordered.

The girls continued their procession. A man stepped on the other man's chest, keeping him on the ground.

I gasped slightly and leaned around, trying to get a better view.

The man swished his cape and walked away.

"Isabella! It's me!" The man shouted again, two guards came over and lifted him from the ground.

I felt the Doctor boring holes in the side of my head. I sighed and turned to him. I pulled him closer to me by the bow tie, "What do you want?" I asked slowly.

"I am sorry, Kyla," he sighed.

I shook my head, "I-I want to forgive you, Doctor, I do, but when you go off and kiss my sister like I don't know an hour after kissing me, it hurts," I whispered; I looked down, "I thought you actually liked me," I frowned before turning back to the water.

Amy frowned, "What was that about?" Amy asked, referring to just a moment ago, only to turn and realize the Doctor no longer stood beside me. She groaned, "I hate it when he does that!"

"Tell me about it," I mumbled with an eye roll.

I went to walk away, but Amy grabbed my arm, "I'm sorry about earlier."

I nodded, "Yeah, me too," I frowned and ran the way the Doctor went leaving Amy and Rory to fend for themselves.


	22. Chapter 20

_Narrow Passage, Day,_

I ran towards where I saw the Doctor skip off too. I caught up to him, but he was still a few feet ahead of me.

"Doctor, hold up!" I called, he stopped and turned to me.

"Kyla? What are you doing here?" He asked, walking over.

I sighed, "I don't want to be near Amy right now, but I don't want to be near you because I am still very much upset! But I don't know where I am, so I thought I'd tag along with you," I shrugged.

He nodded with sad eyes, "All right, come along Pond," he reached for my hand, and I hesitantly took it.

We went down a few alleys until we came upon the man from the plaza. The Doctor smiled at me and let go of my hand before bounding onto the first step of a stairway and leaned on a building.

"Who were those girls?" 

The man stopped and looked at the Doctor with confusion, "I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school?"

"Our first day here," I replied as the Doctor stepped down from the step walking over to the man.

"Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion," the Doctor leaned close, he waited for a gentleman to pass us before he whispered to the man, "So, why are you trying to get her out?"

"Something happens in there—something magical, something evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face... like an animal," he described.

The Doctor put an arm around the man's shoulders, "I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri."

I looked at the Doctor, "I'm going to try and find Amy and Rory and make sure they don't screw up history," I mumbled.

The Doctor nodded and continued on his way.

_Calvierri Villa, Courtyard,_

The Signora is kneeling in the center of a courtyard, drinking from a chalice poured by her servant. A door closed in the distance.

"Mother?" Francesco called as he walked down the grand staircase.

The servant refilled the Signora's chalice, "Mummy's hydrating, Francesco," she replied.

"And we never interrupt Mummy when she's hydrating. We were accosted again," Francesco informed as he went down the last flight of stairs.

The Signora leaned her head back before leaning against the well. Francesco laid down with his head in her lap. "A man made a grab for one of the girls. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of discovery. I mean, we've already converted more than enough. Surely it is time to introduce them to my brothers?"

"I shall decide when we have enough," the Signora answered as she stroked his head.

"If it's more you want, let me take the girls into the city tonight. We could..." he trailed off.

"We follow the plan. Let them hammer on our door... beg to be taken," she calmly reasoned.

A bell tolled, and Francesco stood up abruptly. The servant helped the Signora stand. With a look at Francesco, the Signora and the servant left.

_Narrow Passage,_

"And what have you been doing?" Rory asked Amy.

"Well, running. And fighting. I've been scared. More scared than I thought was..." Rory cut her off.

"Did you miss me?" 

"I... I knew I'd be coming back," she stated and punched his arm.

I ran up behind them, "Dang! You guys are hard to find," I panted as I put my hands on my knees.

They both jumped at my sudden voice but continued their conversation. 

"He was right. It blots out everything else," Rory sighed and walked away, but Amy stopped him.

"Rory..." she dragged out and walked over to him, "this is our date. Let's not do this, not now," she pleaded with a smile.

"Ha! We are in Venice, and it's 1580!" Rory exclaimed with a chuckle and smile.

Amy laughed, "I know!" 

They both laughed as they walked off arm-in-arm. I groaned and walked quickly behind them. We walked past a stairwell, and a young girl was selling flowers. 

I stopped her with a smile, "May I have a bundle?" I asked.

She nodded, "Free of charge," she smiled.

I thanked her and gingerly took the flowers from her before catching up with Rory and Amy. 

_Narrow Passage,_

Amy was posing in front of a door while Rory kneeled to take her picture with his camera-phone. A piercing scream echoed through the passageway. I turned and ran towards the sound with Amy close behind along with Rory.

I ran into the passageway to see the caped man from the plaza over the flower-girl. He lifted his head, and blood was on the girl's neck, along with the man's fangs! I stared wide-eyed at him. He hissed and put his cape over his face, and quickly walked past us. Rory went over to the girl.

"She'll be okay. Where are you... Kyla, Amy! Come back!" Rory shouted as we ran after the man.

We ran after him, but our pursuit was short-lived when we came to one of the canals. 

_Calvierri School, Night,_

We all met up with the Doctor across the canal from the school.

"Doctor!" I shouted happily.

He smiled and held my shoulders as we both started yelling information at each other.

"I just met some vampires!" 

"We just saw a vampire!" We exclaimed in unison.

We were talking over each other.

"And creepy girls and everything."

"Vampires!" 

We both jumped up and down together excitedly, and Rory finally joined us, ruining the moment, as per usual.

"We think we just saw a vampire," he panted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Kyla was just telling me."

"Yeah! The Doctor actually went to their house!" I exclaimed, hugging his side. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and let me tell you, if you didn't know any better, you'd think we were dating.

"Oh. Right. Well..." Rory mumbled.

"Okay, so," the Doctor slapped Rory's cheeks **(Why does this make me laugh 😂)** after he let go of me, "first we need to get back in there somehow."

"What?!" Rory exclaimed.

"How do we do that?" Amy asked.

"Back to where?!" Rory questioned.

The Doctor grinned and grabbed my hand, "Come and meet my new friend!" 

_Guido's House,_

Guido sat a map of Venice on the table in front of us. The Doctor and I sat at the table looking over the map while Amy and Rory sat on some barrels in the corner.

"As you saw, there's no clear way in. The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor," Guido explained as he pointed on the map.

"You need someone on the inside," I said, looking at the Doctor.

"No," he replied firmly.

"You don't even know what she was going to say!" Amy exclaimed.

"We pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside, and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," the Doctor stated, looking up at me.

I smiled, "Ha! You missed one thing, which is impressive," I pointed at him, "But I didn't mean just me," I turned to Amy with a grin.

"Are you insane?" Rory questioned, leaning forward.

I scoffed a laugh, "You know I'm insane!" I sighed, "But we don't have another option."

"He said no, Kyla. Listen to him," Rory countered firmly.

"There is another option," Guido pointed to Rory, "I work at the Arsenale. We build warships for the navy."

The Doctor went over to the barrels and started sniffing them, "Gunpowder," he put a hand on Rory's shoulder as Guido smiled proudly, "Most people just nick stationery from where they work."

Rory's eyes bugged out of his head, and he slowly scooted off the barrels, quickly stepping away from them as the Doctor continued to babble.

"Look, I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosive."

What do you suggest, then?" Guido turned and poked the fire behind us, "We wait until they turn her into an animal?"

"We'll be three, four hours tops," I tried to persuade. Rory rolled his eyes with a groan.

The Doctor smiled slightly at my persistence but quickly waved the idea away, "No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't keep happening like this. This is how they all go," he sat on the bed with his head in his hands he took a deep breath and leaned back, "But I have to know. We go together. Say you're my daughters," he suggested.

"What?! Don't listen to him!" Rory protested, extending his arms towards the Doctor.

"Your daughters? You look about nine," Amy stated from the table that she sat on.

"Daughter? That's not weird at all," I sarcastically remarked as I leaned next to Amy with my arms crossed.

"Brother, then."

"Even weirder. Fiancé," I smiled.

"What about Amy?" The Doctor asked.

"Nevermind," I pouted. The Doctor smiled at me.

"Yeah, we can't go running around with the Doctor being called his fiancé. They've already seen him," Amy pointed out, "You should do it," she said, walking up to face Rory.

"Me?" 

"Yeah! You can be our brother!" She exclaimed and rubbed his head like a dog.

The Doctor smiled towards Amy and Rory. I quietly stood up and slid next to the Doctor.

I looked over at him, "I forgive you," I whispered as Guido talked to Amy and Rory.

He looked at me with a grin, "Really?" 

I nodded, "Yeah. I know you're not that type person."

"I'm glad you think that because Amy really did kiss me first," his grin grew when I laughed.

I shook my head at him and rested it on his shoulder.

"Actually, I thought you WERE her fiancé," Guido questioned, pointing to the Doctor.

"Yeah, that's not helping," the Doctor quickly replied as he glanced at me.

I chuckled slightly before Rory yelled out, "This whole thing is mental! They're VAMPIRES, for god's sake."

"We hope," the Doctor mumbled.

"So if they're not vampires...?" Amy trailed off.

"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire?" The Doctor stuck out his front teeth as if there were fangs.


	23. Chapter 21

Rory, Amy, and I were about to leave for the Calvierri School. I was tying my hair up when I felt an arm slide around my waist. I turned my head and smiled when I felt the Doctor rest his chin on my shoulder.

"Please be careful," he mumbled into my neck.

"I'm always careful."

He scoffed, "Since when?" 

I laughed and turned my head to look at him better, "You're one to talk."

He smiled and kissed my cheek, "I'm glad you've forgiven me, by the way."

"How could I not forgive that cute baby face," I cooed in a baby voice.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes. Yes. I have a babyface, but you like this baby face."

I laughed, "That sounds so wrong."

He laughed too, "You're right. That did come out wrong."

I turned to look at him, "Promise to rescue me?" 

"Always," he leaned down slightly and kissed me.

I waved to the Doctor before we left for the Calvierri School.

_Calvierri School, Throne Room,_

Rory, Amy, and I stood as petitioners in front of Signora Calvierri. Rory was wearing Guido's clothes, and Amy and I were wearing simple skirts and blouses that belonged to Isabella.

"So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague. I'm a gondola," Rory hesitated slightly, "driver? So, money's a bit tight, so having my sisters go to your school for special people would be brilliant. Cheers," Rory nervously explained to them.

I sighed internally, _"Rory is the worst liar I have ever seen."_

The young man with the Signora stared at us.

"Have we met?" 

"I've just got one of those faces," Rory replied.

"I wasn't talking to you," the man stated as he strode over towards Rory.

"They've got the same faces... which is because they're my sisters!" Rory quickly spat out.

The Signora turned to her servant, "Carlo, explain yourself. Why have you brought me this imbecile?" She asked harshly.

The young man circled the three of us. He stopped next to me. I glanced up at him, putting on my doe eyes.

"Signora, they have references from the King of Sweden," Carlo answered the Signora.

"What?! Let me see," she ordered, outstretching her hand. Rory walked up to her throne and handed her the Doctor's psychic paper. The young man continued to circle me in interest, "Well, now I can see what got my steward so excited," the Signora exclaimed and handed it back to Rory, "What say you, Francesco, do you like them?"

He was still circling me, looking at me like a piece of meat, "Oh, I do, Mother, I do."

"Then we would be delighted to accept them. Say goodbye to your sisters."

Rory and Amy gripped each other's hands before Carlo led him away as Rory sputtered out words.

"Rory, please tell Uncle Doctor that I love him," I smiled.

"Yes, tell Uncle Doctor that we'll see you both pretty soon, okay?" Rory nodded at the doorway.

"We'll be fine," I reassured.

Rory's eyes bugged out as he looked behind us, "A-Amy!" He shouted before the door closed.

_Calvierri School, Corridor,_

Carlo was leading us through the school. The other girls watched us as Carlo led us upstairs. He took us to a room we would be sharing with some other girls.

"There are clothes on the bed. Get changed and wait here," he instructed.

Amy looked around the room, "Blimey. This is private education, then?"

All the other girls brushed past me as they left, except one. I walked over to her.

"Hi. I'm Kyla Pond, and this is my sister Amy. What's your name?" I asked politely.

"Isabella," she shakily replied.

I smiled and crouched down in front of her, "Listen, we're going to get you out of here, but I need you to tell us what's going on. What is this place? What are they doing?" I questioned.

"They, um... they come at night. They gather around my bed, and they take me to a room... with this green light and a chair with... with straps, as if for a surgeon," she fearfully described.

I placed a hand on her cheek when I noticed two puncture holes in her neck, "What did they do to you?" I whispered as Amy asked her another question.

"What happens in there?" 

"I wake up here. And the sunlight burns my skin like candle wax," Isabella described.

A bell toll rang, and Amy and I looked around warily.

_Canal, Night, With The Doctor, Rory, and Guido,_

The Doctor and Rory sit in the back of a gondola as Guido, dressed in Rory's clothes, guides them along the canal.

"They'll be fine," the Doctor assured. 

"You can promise me that, can you?" Rory snapped, looking down at the water.

The Doctor looked at him before looking down. He couldn't promise that Amy and Kyla were going to be okay, and it broke his hearts.

_Calvierri School, Underground Stairs, With Amy and Kyla,_

We wore the white gowns the school had provided, Amy held a lamp, and we made our way down a staircase to try and find the room Isabella was talking about. We heard moans and cries, and we started following them. 

_Canal,_ _With The Doctor, Rory, and Guido,_

They had reached their destination.

"We're here," Guido informed.

The Doctor was carrying a lit torch. He pushed open a creaking gate, and Rory followed as Guido stayed on the gondola.

_Calvierri School, Underground Stairs,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

"Right. Okay, I'll go first. If anything happens to me, go back..." the Doctor instructed before Rory spoke up.

"What happened? Between you and Amy? You said she kissed you."

The Doctor stopped and turned to him, "NOW?! You want to do this NOW?!" He snapped before climbing the rest of the stairs towards a wooden door.

"I have a right to know," Rory followed the Doctor, "I'm getting married in 430 years," he reminded.

_Calvierri School, Courtyard,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

I ran over to a well in the center of the courtyard. Amy came up next to me and held the lamp up. I released the bar that was locking the grate. We turned to head back inside, but we nearly ran into Carlo. Amy shrieked and dropped the lamp.

_Calvierri School, Underground Passage,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

The Doctor and Rory continued through a narrow passage, the only light coming from the Doctor's torch.

"She was frightened, I was frightened, but we survived, and the relief of it... and so she kissed me," the Doctor explained.

"And you kissed her back?" Rory inquired.

"No. I kissed her mouth and nearly lost Kyla because of it."

"Funny."

"Rory..." the Doctor stopped and turned to him, "Rory, she kissed me because I was there. It would have been you," he tapped his chest, "it SHOULD have been you."

"Yeah, it should have been me," Rory agreed.

"Exactly. That's why I brought you here."

A strong gust of wind blew the torch out, leaving them in the dark.

"Can we go and see the vampires now, please?" The Doctor whispered.

_Calvierri School, Underground Chamber,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

Amy gasped as Carlo forced us down the stairs.

"Control yourself, child!" He sneered towards me as I thrashed around in his grasp.

"Get your hands off me!" I shouted.

"Psychic paper," green lights turned on, illuminating the Signora, "Did you really think that would work on me?" 

There was a hum of power. I looked around, searching for an energy source.

_Calvierri School, Courtyard,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

The Doctor pushed the grate open and climbed out, using Rory as a ladder. 

"Push," he groaned as he climbed out. Once he was out, he reached over and helped Rory out, "Come on. There we are," the Doctor looked around, "Amy! Kyla! Where are they? I can't see a thing," the Doctor whispered.

"Just as well I brought this, then," Rory pulled out a small pencil torch.

The Doctor pulled a larger one from his jacket, "Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight."

Rory looked at his torch and the Doctor, "Yours is bigger than mine," he grumbled.

"Let's not go there," the Doctor said, looking at Rory.

_Calvierri School, Underground Chamber,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

The Signora circled us as Carlo held us.

"Where are you from? Did you fall through the chasm?" 

"Mother, this is pointless. Let's just start the process," Francesco encouraged.

"Hold your tongue, Francesco! I need to know what these girls are doing in a world of savages with psychic paper," she snapped. 

Four girls brought out two wooden chairs with wrist straps. I started pulling against Carlo's grip at the sight of them.

"Who are you with? I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you," the Signora continued to question.

Francesco set two hooks into an eye socket above the chairs. 

"What are you doing in MY school?" 

One of the girls attached IV bags to the hook.

"Okay, I'll tell you. We're from Ofsted," Amy 'admitted.'

The Signora laughed, "Put them in the chair," she ordered.

Carlo pushed us into the chairs, and the girls fastened the straps as we struggled against them. Francesco held our heads back from behind.

"Get your hands off us!" I bellowed threateningly.

"Oh, make sport of me, will you? Tease me as if I were your dog? Well, this dog has a bite, girl," the Signora sneered as she turned and showed her fangs.

"Doctor!" We both yelled as Francesco bit my neck and the Signora bit Amy's.

_Calvierri School, Courtyard,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

"If we cancel now, we lose the deposit on the village hall, the salsa band," Rory sighed disappointedly. 

The Doctor opened a chest on the ground that had skeletal remains.

"What happened to them?" 

"They've had all the moisture taken out of them," the Doctor answered as he examined one.

_Calvierri School, Underground Chamber,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

The Signora pulled away from Amy and stood, along with Francesco. She licked her lips. The girls left. Our eyes were glazed; the trauma had been too much for us. Francesco leaned down towards Amy's neck by her puncture wounds.

"Mother... where you drink from her, may we share? I'm so thirsty," Francesco pleasurefully asked, stroking her neck.

"Of course, darling," she replied.

I glared at him, "Leave. Her. Alone," I weakly threatened.

"Oh, she's still got fight left in her, Mother. Shall it be your turn?" Francesco sickly asked.

"With pleasure," she wickedly agreed.

I screamed when she bit into the same puncture wounds from Francesco.

_Calvierri School, Courtyard,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

"That's what vampires do, right? They drink your blood and replace it with their own," Rory questioned.

"Yeah, except they haven't just had their blood taken, but all the water in their bodies."

"Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?" Rory asked further.

"Maybe not everyone survives the process," the Doctor answered grimly.

Rory walked away in frustration, then stopped and pointed at the Doctor angrily, "You know what's dangerous about you? It's not that you make people take risks. It's that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around," he accused.

"Who are you?" Girls asked, popping up in all the archways before the Doctor could reply.

The Doctor held his torch up as they got closer. They hissed at the light.

"We should run. Run!" The Doctor shouted.

The Doctor and Rory took off running from the courtyard, followed by the girls.

_Calvierrir School, Underground Chamber,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

The Signora lifted from Kyla's neck and licked her fangs before speaking, "This is how it works. First, we drink you until you're dry. Then... we fill you with our blood. It rages through you like a fire, changing you, until one morning you awake and your humanity is a dream... now faded," she described.

Kyla was passed out from the loss of blood and water.

"Or you die," Francesco chuckled as he moved a strand of hair away from Kyla's neck, "That can happen."

"And if we survive?" Amy spat at her.

"Then there are 10,000 husbands waiting for you both in the water."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm kind of engaged," she nodded towards her unconscious sister, "and so's she," she kicked the Signora, and Francesco quickly restrained her.

The Signora stood stunned. A slight electric hum of technology. The Signora flipped back part of her clothing to reveal a device clipped to her dress. Her image flickered, showing off an insectoid creature with a fish head before her image returned. They heard running footsteps and voices from above and ran upstairs, leaving Amy and Kyla alone. Amy struggled against the restraints wanting to help her sister.

_Calvierri School, Corridor,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

The Doctor and Rory ran along to a corridor but slid to a stop when they encountered the Signora, Francesco, and Carlo.

"Cab for Amy and Kyla Pond?" The Doctor snarkily asked.

_Calvierrir School, Underground Chamber,_ _With Amy and Kyla,_

Amy screamed when hands clamped around her wrist but calmed down once she saw it was Isabella. "She bit us," she exclaimed.

_Calvierri School, Corridor,_ _With The Doctor, and Rory,_

The girls approached from the other side of the corridor, blocking their escape.

"This rescue plan, not exactly watertight, is it?" The Signora teased.

The Doctor whipped out the UV torch and started waving it at the girls making them cower away, "Ha-ha!"

Amy and Isabella carefully but quickly carried Kyla into the corridor from the intersecting hall.

"Rory!" Amy exclaimed.

"Amy!" Rory exclaimed back and ran over. He looked at Kyla quickly before picking her up bridal style.

"Quickly, through here!" Isabella guided.

They all followed her down the hall she and Amy came from. 

"Seal the house," the Signora demanded.

_Calvierri School, Underground Stairs,_

"They're not vampires!" Amy informed.

The Doctor used the sonic on a door, "What?!"

"I saw them. I saw her. They're not vampires. They're aliens!" 

The Doctor chuckled, "Classic!"

"That's GOOD news?! What is wrong with you people?!" Rory questioned. 

They all continued down the stairwell. The Doctor heard the aliens as they began to break through the door.

_Calvierri School, Underground Passage,_

"Come on, move!" The Doctor urged.

Francesco led the way with a torch. The Doctor once again brandished the UV light as a weapon, causing Francesco to hesitate.

"Keep moving! Come on, guys," the Doctor continued encouraging.

Francesco sent the girls forward.

_Calvierri School Canal, Morning,_

Isabella opened the doorway and ushered the others forward and down the stairs to the canal where Guido was waiting.

"Quickly. Get out. Quick," she went to go out, but the sunlight started burning her.

"Oh..." the Doctor sighed and ran to help her, "Come on, run!"

"I can't!" She exclaimed and was pulled back inside.

The Doctor pounded on the door and started to spasm once the door was electrified. He fell to the ground. Rory handed Kyla to Amy, which was a horrible idea. She struggled to keep her upright.

"Is he dead?" She asked.

"No, he's breathing," Rory informed.

Amy looked to Guido, who looked down at the ground, knowing he'd never see his daughter again.


	24. Chapter 22

_Calvierri School, Throne Room, With The Doctor,_

The Doctor sat in the Signora's throne, tapping his fingers on the gold accent piece. The Signora walked through the doorway, and the Doctor gave her a wolf whistle. 

"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you. Sister of the Water?" The Doctor asked as he tapped the accent piece with each word.

"No, let me guess," the Signora pointed at the Doctor before a smile formed on her lips, "The owner of the psychic paper."

The Doctor pulled his hands off the accent pieces to give her a shrug with a smug face.

"Then I take it you're a refugee, like me?" She quickly inquired.

The Time Lord leaned back in the throne, "I'll make you a deal. An answer, for an answer," he proposed. She nodded in agreement, "You're using a perception filter. It doesn't change your features but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you," he gestured, "But seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so leaves it blank... hence no reflection."

The Signora paced in front of him, listening intently, "Your question?"

"Why can we see your big teeth?"

She laughed humorously, "Self-preservation over-rides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain," she explained, continuing to pace.

"Where's Isabella?"

"My turn," she smiled, "Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey."

She raised her eyebrows at the Time Lord's answer, "You should be in a museum. Or in a mausoleum."

The Doctor chuckled at her as he looked down before looking back up at her to ask his question, "Why are you here?"

The Signora continued to pace and smiled solemnly as she answered, "We ran from the silence. Why are you here?"

"Wedding/ makeup present. The Silence?"

"There were cracks. Some were tiny... some were as big as the sky. Through some, we saw worlds and people, and through others, we saw silence... and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean-like ours, and the crack snapped shut behind us... and Saturnyne was lost," she sadly answered.

"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark II?" The Doctor inquired, making her head snap up to look at him.

"And you can help me. We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?" She asked with a large grin.

"Hmm," the Doctor stood from the chair and walked to face her before whispering to her, "Where's Isabella?" He circled the other side of her.

"Isabella?" 

"The girl who saved my friends."

"Oh, deserters must be executed. Any general will tell you that. I need an answer, Doctor—a partnership. Any which way you choose," she flirted halfheartedly.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" He questioned, "I'm a Time Lord. You're a big fish. Think of the children."

The Signora pushed away from him, "Carlo!" 

Carlo approached came from the hall as the Signora continued.

"You're right. We're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race while YOU philosophize," she informed, getting up in the Time Lord's face.

"This ends today. I'll tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone," Carlo pushed the Doctor away from the Signora, "Take your hands off me, Carlo," he said darkly before walking to the doorway and stopping, "And you know why? You didn't know Isabella's name," Carlo opened the door, "You didn't know Isabella's name," he walked out the door, and it slammed closed.

"Open the gates!" Carlo ordered the two guards manning the gates.

One of the guards opened the gate, and the Doctor strode out.

_Guido's House, Day,_

The Doctor was examining the bites on Amy's neck with his sonic screwdriver, "You're fine," he informed, "Open wide," Amy opened her mouth, and the Doctor popped a candy in before going over to Kyla, who was still passed out. The Doctor scanned her with his sonic, "She'll be okay. What did they do to her that they didn't do to you, Amy?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"They both bit her, the Signora and Francesco," the ginger answered, slightly slurred from the candy in her mouth.

The Doctor softly smiled and rubbed his thumb on the younger girl's cheek. He stood up and started pacing in frustration, "I need to think. Come on, brain, think, think. Think!" He blabbered before sitting down at the table with the other three, "Think!"

Amy started talking, still slurred from the candy, "If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun."

The annoyed Time Lord placed a hand over her mouth, "Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush."

"It's the school thing I don't understand," Rory admitted.

The Doctor placed a hand over Rory's mouth as well, "Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush."

"I say we take the fight to them," Guido went to say something else, but the Doctor cut him off.

"Ah-ah-ah!" 

"What?"

"Ah!" The Doctor nodded to Rory, who then placed a hand on Guido's mouth, making him shut up, "Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time, and end up here, then she closes off the city and, one by one changes people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it. Then what?" He looked around the table, "They come from the sea. They can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do?" He asked out loud before taking a moment to think, "Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable. She said, "I shall bend the heavens to save my race," he moved his hands to Amy and Rory's heads, forcing them to nod, "She said, "I shall bend the heavens to save my race," he deduced.

"She's-she's going to sink Venice?" Guido asked, confused by the Doctor's statement.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed."

"You can't repopulate somewhere with just women," Rory held up a spoon awkwardly, "You need... blokes."

"She's got, blokes," Amy informed.

"Where?" The Doctor asked.

"In the canal. She said to me, 'There are 10,000 husbands waiting in the water.'"

"Only the male offspring survived the journey here. She's got 10,000 children swimming in the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends," he made a disgusted face along with everyone else, "Ew. I mean, I've been around a bit, but, really, that's... that's... Ew," he gagged, once he realized what he said he pointed a finger at Amy, "Amy, don't say a word to Kyla about that statement... when she's mad it scares me," he mumbled at the end.

A loud clattering came from the floor above. They all looked up at the ceiling.

"The people upstairs are very noisy," the Doctor commented.

"There aren't people upstairs," Guido replied, still looking at the ceiling.

The Doctor pointed at him, "I knew you were going to say that. Did anyone else know he was going to say that?" He asked, looking around.

Wood creaked as if someone was walking across the floor.

Rory looked up again, "Is it the vampires?"

Everyone jumped when Kyla's voice cut into the conversation, "They're not vampires."

Amy glared at her as she put a hand on her chest, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Like Kyla just said, they're not vampires. Fish from space," the Doctor calmly replied to Rory's question.

Kyla wobbled slightly, making the Doctor jump up and hold onto her forearms from behind her. A loud thump and breaking of glass sounded as the converted girls entered the room, along with more through the window. Everyone else stood quickly from being startled. The Doctor pushed Kyla behind him but kept an arm around her waist to keep her from falling. He pulled out the UV light as Guido crossed himself. 

"Aren't we on the second floor?" Kyla nervously asked as more girls showed up around the window.

They broke the glass, and the Doctor used the light to keep them away. He then flashed his sonic at them, which showed off their true selves.

"What's happened to them?" Guido asked.

"There's nothing left of them. They've been fully converted. Blimey, fish from space have never been so... buxom. Okay," the Doctor switched off the sonic, "Move. Come one!" He picked Kyla up bridal style and tossed the UV light to Guido as they all ran downstairs.

_Guido's,_

The door opened, and Amy and Rory run out of Guido's house.

"Go, go, go, guys! Keep moving, go, go go!" The Doctor encouraged following behind them.

Guido stopped before closing the door and locking the Doctor out, "Stay away from the door, Doctor," he warned.

The Doctor kicked the door since he had Kyla in his arms, "No! Guido! What are you doing?!" He yelled, "I'm not leaving you! What are you doing?!" He tried the sonic, which was difficult, but it didn't work. "Guido!" The Doctor called again before taking a step back.

"Doctor! His gunpowder!" Kyla exclaimed, looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor's eyes widened, and he quickly turned and started running away from the house. The house exploding launching them to the ground.

Kyla groaned, "Ouch."

The Doctor helped her up, "You okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah..." 

He smiled and kissed her forehead. Amy and Rory ran up to the soon-to-be couple and looked at the destroyed house. Clammering of people came from the streets.

"Rosanna's initiating the final phase," the Doctor sighed.

"We need to stop her. Come on!" Kyla exclaimed, pulling on the Doctor's hand.

"No, no. Get back to the Tardis."

"What? You can't stop her on your own," Kyla protested.

"We don't discuss this! I tell you to do something, Kyla, and you do it. Huh?" The Doctor snapped.

Kyla flinched at his tone, "Fine," she snapped back and stormed off with Amy following.

Rory looked at the Doctor, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied sadly before running off towards screaming.

_Calvierri School Canal,_

Francesco opened the gates and looked up at the roiling sky. As Rory, Amy, and I looked up as well.

"Oh, my god! What is going on?" Amy asked.

"The sky, it's like it's boiling," Rory described.

I nodded, "That's exactly what it's doing," I replied before taking off.

The three of us weaved our way through the streets of Venice until a soaking wet Francesco blocked us. Rory quickly looked around and picked up two candlesticks, holding them out in the shape of a cross.

"Amy, Kyla, run!" Francesco swiped the candlesticks away and moved towards me, "This way, you freak! Don't! This-this-this way, you big stupid, great... SpongeBob!" Rory exclaimed, trying to be insulting as Francesco continued to corner me, "The only thing I've seen uglier than you is..." he thought for a second, "your mum! No..." he put two fingers up as Francesco turned to Rory.

"Did you just say something about Mummy?"

Rory started panicking and picked up a broom and brandished it like a sword, and started making swishing sounds that didn't even scare a chicken that was standing on the staircase behind him. Francesco pulled out a real sword, making Rory question his bravado. Francesco attacked Rory, who blocked his attacks with the broom handle.

I turned to Amy, "I'm starting to question him as a brother-in-law."

Amy scoffed and slapped my chest, "Careful!" Amy exclaimed.

"Hit him!" I shouted. Rory did just that, but with the broom end, I groaned, "With the other end, you moran!" 

"Bring him this way!" Amy exclaimed.

Francesco sliced the broom handle, leaving Rory defenseless. Francesco thrust his sword through a hanging drape, and Rory dodged out of the way. He then wrapped Francesco in the drape and back away.

"Ew! You stink of fish," Rory gagged as he backed up into the courtyard Amy and I were in.

"Amy, give me your mirror."

She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to me.

"Well, I'm hardly going to smell of cheese and biscuits."

Rory tripped and fell, hitting his head. Francesco leaped into the air and changed midair; he landed on top of Rory.

"Hey! Fish brains!" I shouted and held the mirror into the sunlight, making it reflect onto Francesco. He exploded into ash.

I sighed in relief, "That was lucky," Amy patted my back.

I nodded, "Yeah."

Rory stood up, "Why did you make the sign of the cross, you numpty?" Amy asked, looking at Rory.

Rory ascended the stairs, "Oh, oh, right! I'm being reviewed now, am I?"

Amy pulled him into a passionate kiss. I pulled a face and scooted away from them.

I rolled my eyes, "Okay, you two. Let's go save my boyfriend."

Amy beamed at me and started bouncing up and down, "I knew it! When did you guys go official?" 

I stared at her, "You want to do this now? Right now? When Venice is about to be sunk?" 

She nodded, "Yes."

I sighed, "Never. We haven't gone, 'official,'" I put air quotes around 'official,' "Now, come on. I'd rather keep my potential of a boyfriend alive, please."

Amy maniacally laughed as I dragged her towards the Calvierri School. I'm pretty sure Amy freaked out Rory.

_Calvierri School, Throne Room,_

The Doctor walked in through the main door as we entered through the side door.

"Get out! I need to stabilize the storm," the Doctor exclaimed, running past us to get to the throne.

I scoffed, "Yeah, since when did you understand machines? And don't say your screwdriver," I pointed at him when he lifted his sonic to protest.

He grumbled something under his breath, "We're not leaving you," Rory firmly protested.

"Right," the Doctor walked back towards us, "so one minute it's, 'You make people a danger to themselves,' the next it's, 'We're not leaving you!' But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets..." the ground shook and the ceiling collapsed, we all fell to the ground, well I ended up falling on top of the Doctor.

I smiled at him as I blushed a bright red.

"What was that?" Rory asked.

I rolled off the blushing Time Lord, and he quickly stood up, straightening his bow tie, "Nothing. Bit of an earthquake."

"An earthquake?" Amy repeated.

"Well, yeah," I said in a 'duh' tone, "Manipulate the elements, and everything just goes, pfft!" I made a squishing sound with my mouth, "But don't worry about them," I smiled as I walked over to the throne.

"No?" Rory questioned, confused.

"No. Worry about the tidal waves caused by the earthquake," the Doctor faced the throne I was looking at, "Right, Rosanna's throne is the control hub, but she's locked the program, so tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne. Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything," he ordered, "We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator."

"This kinda hurts. This machine is a beauty!" I gushed as I started yanking wires out.

The Doctor looked at me, "The Tardis is better; I'll give you a tour of the inner workings."

I beamed at him, "Really?!" 

He laughed with a nod before turning back to his work. The storm was getting stronger by the minute.

_Short Time Later,_

The Doctor was up in the bell tower while the rest of us continued ripping out wires. Once we ripped out all the wires we could, we ran out into the courtyard. I looked up and gasped. The Doctor was on the pinnacle of the bell tower.

"There he is!" Rory shouted over the pouring rain.

The Doctor continued climbing on what looked like a cable until he reached a giant sphere that sat on the pinnacle's point. We covered our eyes as we watched the Doctor.

"Come on!" Rory pleaded.

The Doctor opened the sphere revealing the machinery that was creating the storm.

"Come on! Come on!" We all pleaded as we watched him start to work on shutting the machine down. 

The storm suddenly began clearing, and birds started chirping. 

"Yes!" I cheered and started jumping around, fist-bumping the air.

Amy and Rory were laughing and hugging each other.

I looked up at the tower, "You did it!" I cheered again with a large smile.

Once the Doctor managed to climb back down to planet Earth, I ran up to him and tackled him in a hug before hitting the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his head.

I pointed a finger at him, "Don't do anything that stupid again!" 

He bobbed his head back and forth, "No promises."

I rolled my eyes and pulled him into a kiss, which he quickly returned. When we pulled away, he smiled at me.

"Be my girlfriend?"

I looked up at him with a smile, "I thought I was."

He laughed, "Officially, will you be my girlfriend?"

I nodded, "Of course, Doctor," I kissed him again before he quickly pulled away from me, "What? What's wrong?"

"Rosanna!" He shouted before taking off into the school again.

I threw my hands into the air with a laugh, "What have I gotten myself into..."

_Calvierri School, Mooring, With the Doctor,_

The Signora stood on a wooden plank that dropped off into the canal.

"Rosanna!" The Doctor called out once he came out of the hallway.

"One city to save an entire species. Was that so much to ask?"

The Time Lord slowly approached her, "I told you, you can't go back and change time. You mourn, but you live. I know, Rosanna, I did it."

Rosanna turned her head towards the Doctor, "Tell me, Doctor," her eyes were filled with tears, "can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race?" She looked away from him again, "Remember us. Dream of us," she requested before jumping into the water.

"No!" The Doctor shouted and jumped forward, falling onto the plank looking down at the bubbling water before it stopped.

_Venice, Marketplace,_

The townsfolk were cleaning up the streets as the four of us walked back to the Tardis, the Doctor and I hand-in-hand the same as Amy and Rory.

"Now, then, what about you two, eh? Next stop Leadworth Register Office? Maybe I can give you away."

"It's fine. Drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've..." Amy cut Rory off before he could finish his sentence.

"Stay...with us. Please. Just for a bit. I want you to stay."

Rory looked at the Doctor with a smile which he returned, "Fine with me."

"Yeah?" Amy beamed at the Doctor, "Yes, I would like that," Rory very much agreed.

"Nice one," Amy commented and kissed him, "I will pop the kettle on," she unlocked the Tardis doors, "Hey, look at this. Got my spaceship, got my boys and my lovely sister. My work here is done," she walked into the Tardis the door closing behind her.

I smiled at Rory's face.

He scoffed and turned to us, "We are not her boys."

I laughed, "Yeah, you are," I kissed the Doctor's cheek before walking into the Tardis.

"Yeah, we are," Rory agreed defeatedly.

Rory pushed the door open but stopped when the Doctor started talking to him, "Rory, listen to that."

"What?" He asked, confused, "All I can hear is... silence," he then went inside.

The Doctor stood there looking out, the Signora's words playing in his head.

**_"_ ** _**There were cracks. Through some, we saw silence and the end of all things."** _

"You coming, Doctor?" Kyla asked from behind him.

He jumped slightly before nodded, "Yeah, right behind you," he replied, still looking out. He walked into the Tardis and closed the door.


	25. The Kettles On

I smiled and pulled the Doctor back into the Tardis. I clapped my hands together as I climbed the stairs, "Okay, Amy, let's head to the kitchen and get some tea, yeah?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded, "Yep, right behind you!" 

I shot her a thumbs up and started walking towards the kitchen, with some help from the Tardis. I headed to the pantry, which was just as big as the wardrobe, and found the tea section, "Hmm," I hummed and tapped my chin as I looked over the variety of tea packages. I decided on Earl Grey for Amy and Rory, and for some reason, I was drawn to the peppermint tea for the Doctor and myself. I was walking out with the packages in my hand when I passed ingredients for shortbread. I stopped and thought for a moment. _I can make Jammie Dodgers!_ I smiled and ran back to the kitchen to set the tea packages on the counter. I ran back into the pantry and went to the shortbread ingredients. I grabbed everything into my arms and made my way back. 

Amy laughed when she saw me walk out with the ingredients, "You making something?"

I laughed, "Nope, just carrying this for fun."

She shook her head at me, "I'll start the kettle," she gestured to my arms full of ingredients, "while you start that." 

I laughed and went over to the counter. I laid everything out and looked around for a stand mixer. After a few minutes of searching around the large kitchen, the Tardis gave me a hand and opened a cabinet giving me a hum, "Thank you, dear!" I pulled it out with some struggle and carried it over to the counter I was at a moment ago. I stood there for a moment with my mind completely blank. How _do I make shortbread?_ As if the Tardis read my mind a recipe printed from the wall in front of me, I laughed and took it from the wall. I started following the recipe as Amy and I talked about anything and everything, utterly oblivious to the fact the Doctor and Rory were watching us with smiles.

"Our girls," the Doctor mumbled, nudging Rory as we started dancing around the kitchen.

I had brought my favorite CDs, and the Tardis had a CD player in one of the many kitchen walls, so I ran out and grabbed mine and Amy's favorite album and started playing music through the speakers. Our favorite song, 'Stuck Like Glue' by Sugarland, began to play, making us squeal in excitement and belt out all the lyrics. 

I cut out the cookie dough with a star-shaped cookie cutter when I felt arms wrap around my waist, making me yelp in surprise; the Doctor laughed, making me groan. 

"Don't do that! I'm armed," I pointed the cookie cutter at him.

He pretended to be afraid, "Oh no, I'm so afraid."

I playfully rolled my eyes at him, "Do you want a jammie dodger?" 

He gasped, "You're making homemade Jammie Dodgers?!"

I laughed at his childlike enthusiasm, "MmmHmm."

He kissed my cheek and ran around the kitchen, nearly running into Amy and Rory.

"You're gonna hurt yourself!" I called to him as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Nah!"

I laughed as Amy shooed Rory out of the kitchen, "Now, where were we?" She asked with a smile.

I smiled at her, and the kettle whistled, "That."

She laughed and ran over to the stove. I put my cookies on a cookie sheet, placed them in the oven, and set the timer for ten minutes. 

"So, you and the Doctor? Are you official now?" Amy asked as she made up the mugs of tea.

I chuckled slightly, "Maybe..."

She beamed at me, "Yes! Rory, you owe me twenty pounds!" She yelled.

I stared at her, "You-you made a bet?" 

"Well, yeah..." 

I laughed, "I can't believe you!" 

She innocently smiled at me and handed me my mug of tea. I rolled my eyes at her and took a sip. The oven beeped, and I ran over. Slipping an oven mitt onto my hand, I pulled my perfectly baked cookies out and placed them onto the counter.

"Ta-da!" I cheered, gesturing to my cookies.

Amy smiled and nodded, "Not bad; you didn't burn them."

I stared at her, "I don't burn everything," I mumbled.

Amy raised her eyebrows at me.

"Okay, I burn everything, but I actually followed the recipe!" 

"Good." 

I laughed and pulled out a serving platter; I started placing the cookies on it before grabbing the Doctor's mug of tea as Amy grabbed Rory's. We walked out of the kitchen, heading to the console room.

"We come bearing gifts!" I exclaimed as we walked down the stairs. 

"Yes! Jammie Dodgers!" Rory cheered, walking over to us.

The Doctor walked over to me and took two cookies, "Excuse me, you need to pay for those," I teased.

He stopped eating and looked at me, "Seriously?!" 

I laughed at his cuteness, "Yep," I puckered my lips looking up at him.

He smiled, "Thank you," he pecked my lips before eating his cookies again.

"Your welcome; here's your tea, by the way," I extended it to him, and he gladly took it.

"Love, I think you used salt instead of sugar," he coughed.

I paled slightly, "What?!" I took a cookie and ate it. I immediately spit it out, "Man, I suck at baking... and cooking," I sighed in defeat.

He wrapped his arms around me, "Awe, it's okay! You're good at everything else!" 

I wrapped my arms around him, "Good answer."

Amy and Rory laughed as they took a bite of the cookies; they both spit them out while gagging. We all laughed before birdsong filled our ears, making us fall to the floor asleep.

**_~To Be Continued In Amy's Choice P.1~_ **


	26. Chapter 23

_Tardis,_

"Kyla, are you sure you're okay to visit Amy and Rory?" The Doctor asked, holding my shoulders.

I sighed, "Doctor, I'm seven months pregnant, not dying," I reasoned while holding a hand on my rather large belly.

"I know! I want you to be comfortable!" He defended.

I smiled, "I know you have my best interest at heart, but we haven't seen them in five years. Five years!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighed and pressed his forehead to mine, "Okay, let's go see Amy and Rory."

"Yay!" I cheered and walked to the jump seat, "Please don't crush her flowers," I pleaded as I sat down, looking over at the Doctor as he ran around the console.

"No promises," he smiled and pulled a lever setting the Tardis into motion.

_English Village, Cottage, Kitchen, Day,_

Rory ran into the two-story stone cottage panicking, "Okay, okay..." he panted as he sat down in front of Amy, who sat in a chair eating cupcake batter.

"False alarm," the heavily pregnant Amy inform as she took a lick from the batter-covered wooden spoon.

"What?"

"Well," she swallowed, "I don't know what it feels like; I've never had a baby before," she explained and fed Rory some of the batter.

"Hm," he hummed.

A familiar whooshing sound came from their front garden.

Amy dropped the wooden spoon into the glass bowl, making a 'clink' sound, "No," she quickly stood and placed the bowl onto the counter.

"I know - leaf blowers. Use a rake!" Rory exclaimed.

"No, it's..." the whooshing stopped, and they both looked out the window as the Tardis materialized outside.

"I knew. I just knew."

Rory dropped the cupcake he was about to put in his mouth and took off towards the front door.

_Cottage Front,_

"Doctor! I said, _don't_ crush her flowers!" I groaned as I looked where the Doctor had parked the Tardis.

"I did say no promises," he defended.

The front door of the small cottage opened, and Rory walked out.

"Rory!" The Doctor cheered.

"Doctor!" Rory replied, holding his arms out.

The Doctor gestured to the flower bed we were standing next to, "I've crushed your flowers."

"Oh, Amy will kill you," Rory warned with a blank face.

"Where is she?" The Doctor asked, walking over to him.

"She'll need a bit longer."

I walked over to Rory with a smile, "Rory!" I cheered.

He smiled and gaped at my stomach, "You're pregnant!?" 

I laughed and nodded, "Indeed I am," I pulled Rory into a hug.

Amy came out of the house with a grin, "Oh, wahey!" The Doctor exclaimed, pointing at her, "You've swallowed a planet!"

Amy laughed and walked over to us, "I'm pregnant."

"You're huge!" He exclaimed, carefully placing his hands on her baby bump.

"Look at you. When worlds collide," the Doctor twirled between the two soon-to-be parents.

"Doctor, she's pregnant," I repeated, not understanding his complete obliviousness. 

"Oh, look at you both. Five years later, and you haven't changed a bit," the Doctor commented as he hugged Amy, "Apart from age and size."

Amy chuckled, "Good to see you, Doctor."

The Doctor continued to stare at Amy's baby bump, "Are you pregnant?" 

I facepalmed with a groan, "Idiot."

Amy laughed and walked back into the cottage with me following behind.

"Wow, not even going to say hello to your dear sister?" I teased.

Amy smiled, "Sorry, seeing the Doctor and his retarded comments made me forget," she laughed and pulled me into a hug.

"Yep, and I'm married to that idiot," I shook my head with a smile, "And that idiot's about to be a dad."

Amy gasped as she had just noticed my belly, "No way! We're twinning!" 

I stared at her, "Never. Ever. Say 'twining' again."

She laughed and slapped my shoulder. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we made our way back out of the house.

_Upper Leadworth,_

We had all decided to take a walk through Leadworth to catch up and other things.

"Ah, Leadworth. Vibrant as ever," the Doctor sarcastically commented as he swung our intertwined hands back and forth.

"It's Upper Leadworth, actually. We've gone slightly upmarket," Rory corrected.

A dog was barking off in the distance, and birds were chirping. It was peaceful, unlike the life on the Tardis was. Of course, I love going on adventures with the Doctor, my husband, but I did miss this part of life, the easy-going, carefree lifestyle, but I know I'll never get this life with the Doctor.

"Where is everyone?" The Doctor asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"This is busy," the Doctor looked at Amy, "Okay, it's quiet, but it's really restful and healthy. Loads of people here live well into their 90s."

"Well, don't let that get you down," the Doctor replied as we all sat down on a bench at the end of a culdesac.

I felt slightly bad for Rory; he was on the very end squished between me and the bench's armrest.

"It's not getting me down." 

"We wanted to see how you were. I don't just abandon people when they leave the Tardis. This Time Lord's for life. You don't get rid of the Doctor so easily."

"You dragged him here, didn't you?" Amy asked, leaning over to look at me.

I sighed with a nod, "Yep, used the pregnant excuse every time." 

"Yeah, she did. But look, what a result! Look at this, bench. What a nice bench. What will they think of next?" The Doctor deadpanned.

The four of us fell silent with nothing else to say; I rested my head on the Doctor's shoulder with a bored sigh.

"So. What do you do around here to stave off the, you know..." the Doctor trailed off.

"Boredom?"

"Self-harm," both he and Amy stated at the same time.

I slapped the back of the Doctor's head, "Ow!" 

"Don't say stupid things," I fired back.

He looked at me and rubbed the back of his head, mumbling an 'ow.'

Rory looked at Amy as he answered the Doctor's question, "We relax," the Time Lord mouth 'relax,' "We live, we listen to the birds." 

Snow flurries started falling from the grey sky.

Amy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, see, birds. Those are nice." 

"We didn't get time to listen to birdsong back in the Tardis days," Rory added.

The birdsong slowly started getting louder, making the Doctor rub his face with a groan. I looked up at him, "You all right?" 

"Oh, blimey. My head's a bit, ooh..." he groaned and held his head in his hand before sitting back up, "No, you're right, there wasn't a lot of time for birdsong back in the good..." he started drifting off, "old... days."

My head rested on the Doctor's shoulder as we all fell asleep. 

_Tardis,_

I woke up with a jolt. I looked around confused and slightly dazed before realizing I was under the console, on the floor? I stood up; my hand immediately went to my flat nonpregnant stomach. I then heard the Doctor talking.

"What? No, yes, sorry, what?" 

I went up to the staircase that led back to the main floor that the console was on and climbed them. Rory and Amy were walking over to the console where the Doctor was standing.

"Oh, you're okay!" The Doctor exclaimed and ran over to me, starting to check me over, "Oh, thank god," he kissed my forehead before wrapping an arm around my waist, "I had a terrible nightmare about you three. That was scary. Don't ask; you don't want to know. You're safe now," he smiled and hugged me close to his chest.

"All right, I don't mind this," I commented and hugged him back.

The Doctor snapped his fingers towards Rory, "That's what counts," he then turned back to the console, "Blimey, never dropped off like that before. Well, never, really. I'm getting on a bit, you see. Don't let the cool gear fool you. Now, what's wrong with the console?" He questioned and started examining it. The four of us were still slightly confused and dazed, "Red flashing lights... I bet they mean something."

I looked over at Amy, and she looked at me. Our eyes both wandered down to each other's stomachs and then to Rory's ponytail-free head.

"Doctor, I also had a kind of dream thing," Rory informed.

"Yeah, so did I," Amy agreed.

I nodded, "Same."

"Not a nightmare, though, just... we were married," Rory quickly clarified.

"Yeah, in a little village," Amy added.

The Doctor stood up from under the console and looked at us with a surprised expression.

"A sweet little village, and you were both pregnant," Rory nodded, looking between us.

"Yeah, I was huge; I was a boat!" Amy exclaimed.

I nodded, "Yeah..."

The Doctor walked over to Rory and tugged on his hoodie.

"So we all had the same dream, then? Exactly the same dream?" Rory asked, perplexed. **(Look, Mom! I used a big word! 😆)**

"Are you calling me a boat?" Amy asked, offended.

"And Doctor, you and Kyla were visiting," Rory quickly avoided Amy's question turning to him.

The Doctor walked over to Amy and held open her jacket; he then turned to me. I stared at him with my arms crossed, "What?" He ignored me and walked about two inches from my face; I felt his hand softly graze over my abdomen.

"Yeah, yeah, you came to our cottage," Amy agreed to Rory's statement as they looked at the both of us.

"How can we have the same dream? It doesn't make sense," Rory questioned.

The Doctor remained silent as he looked me in the eyes.

"And you had a nightmare about us. What happened to us in the nightmare?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

The Doctor tore his gaze away from me and looked at the engaged couple, "It was similar, in some aspects."

"Which aspects?" I questioned, looking up at him.

"Well, all of them."

"You had the same dream," Amy inquired.

"Basically," the Doctor replied, looking at me again.

"You said it was a nightmare," Rory countered as both he and Amy stared at the Doctor, confused.

"Did I say nightmare?" The Time Lord asked, looking at them, "No. More of a really good, mare. Look, it doesn't matter. We all had some kind of psychic episode. We probably jumped a time track," birdsong suddenly started, "Forget it, we're back to reality now."

"Doctor, if we're back to reality, how come I can still hear birds?" I asked, looking around.

"Yeah, the same birds. The same ones we heard in the..." We all fell to the ground asleep.


	27. Chapter 24

_Upper Leadworth, Day,_

I slowly fluttered my eyelids open as Rory finished his sentence from the dream we just had, "Dream..." Rory immediately sat up when he noticed his head was on my shoulder, "Oh. Sorry. Nodded off, stupid. God, I must be overdoing it."

The Doctor looked dazed. He looked down at his blue suspenders and snapped them before standing up.

"I was dreaming we were back on the Tardis," Rory continued, "You had the same dream, didn't you?" He asked, looking between Amy and me.

I nodded, "Yeah, back in the Tardis. Weren't we just saying the same thing?" Amy asked.

I nodded again, "Yes, we were," I stood up with some difficulty and walked over to the Doctor as he picked up a stone from the path and began examining it before chucking it back to the ground.

"But we thought this was the dream," Rory added.

Amy stood up from the bench, "I think so. Why do dreams fade so quickly?"

"Doctor, what is going on?" Rory asked.

"Is this because of you? Is this some Time Lord thing because you've shown up again?" Amy questioned.

The Doctor started looking around, "Listen to me. Trust nothing. From now on, trust nothing you see, hear or feel."

"But we're awake now," Rory countered.

"You thought you were awake on the Tardis too," the Doctor replied.

"But we're home," Amy stated as she looked around.

"Yeah. You're home. Not ours. You're also dreaming. The trouble is, Rory, Amy, Kyla, which is which? Are we flashing forwards or backward? Hold on tight. This is going to be a tricky one."

_Tardis,_

Once again, I woke up with a jolt. As I sat up, I noticed I was next to Amy, but on the floor. The Doctor lunged forward and pulled a lever as Amy gasped. 

"This is bad. I don't like this," the Doctor kicked the console and ended up hurting his foot, "Argh! Never use force!" 

"You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case - always use force," I smiled as I finished his sentence.

"Shall I run and get the manual?" Amy suggested as the Doctor limped down the stairs.

"I threw it in a supernova."

"Why did you throw the manual into a supernova?" I questioned, unamused with crossed arms.

"Because I disagreed with it," he pointed a finger at me through the glass floor, "Stop talking to me when I'm cross!"

I rolled my eyes, "With pleasure Captain Grumpy Face."

"Okay? But whatever's wrong with the Tardis, is that what caused us to dream about the future?" Rory asked, looking down at the Doctor.

"If we were dreaming of the future..." the Doctor replied as he came back up the stairs.

"Of course we were. We were in Leadworth," Amy countered.

"Upper Leadworth," Rory corrected, which caused Amy to shoot him a look.

"Yeah, and we could still be in Upper Leadworth, dreaming of this. Don't you get it?" The Doctor asked, handing Amy and Rory spanners.

"No, okay, no, this is real. I'm definitely awake now," Amy replied.

"And you thought you were awake when you and Kyla were all elephanty," he gestured, looking at us.

Amy pointed her spanner at the Doctor, "Hey, pregnant," she said threateningly.

I nodded in agreement, "Pregnant, very, very much pregnant." 

"And you could be giving birth right now. This could be the dream. I told you, trust nothing we see or hear or feel. Look around you. Examine everything. Look for all the details that don't ring true," the Doctor explained as he walked to the console.

"Okay, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside," Rory examined.

"With a bow-tie-wearing alien," Amy added as she leaned on the console.

I pointed at her, "And I'm dating the bow-tie-wearing alien."

"So maybe 'what rings true' isn't so simple," Rory stated, adding quotation marks.

"Valid point," the Doctor mumbled in defeat. 

The Tardis suddenly powered down, leaving us in darkness; the only light was coming from the console.

"It's dead. We're in a dead time machine," the Doctor informed.

The birdsong returned. As the Tardis slowly got darker, Rory took Amy into his arms, and I shuffled over to the Doctor.

"Remember - this is real, but when we wake up in the other place, remember how this feels."

"It is real. I know it's real," Amy firmly nodded.

The Doctor held my hand before we all fell asleep.

_Upper Leadworth,_

The Doctor was standing in the middle of the street watching a group of schoolchildren pass by. Amy and Rory woke up on a bench outside of the library. The Doctor walked over to me.

"Doctor, I want this to be real..." I sighed, looking up at him.

He nodded, "I know, but we can't trust anything, not even our child," he reminded, placing a hand on my belly.

"Okay. This is the real one, definitely this one," Amy interrupted as she rubbed her stomach, "It's all solid."

"It felt solid in the Tardis too. You can't spot a dream while you have it," he started waving his hand in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at him.

"Looking for motion blur, pixelation," the Doctor turned to Rory and pulled his cheeks, "It could be a computer simulation. I don't think so, though."

An old woman walked past, "Hello, Doctor," she greeted.

"Hi." "Hello," Both Rory and the Doctor greeted in reply.

The woman looked at the Doctor strangely as she continued on her way.

"You're a doctor?" The Doctor asked, turning to Rory.

"Yeah. And unlike you, I've actually passed some exams," Rory stated.

"A doctor, not a nurse. Just like you've always dreamed. How interesting," the Doctor then took my hand and walked away.

Amy and Rory followed behind, "What is?" Rory questioned.

"Your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby. Maybe this is your dream," the Doctor deduced before turning to them.

"It's Amy's dream too. Isn't it, Amy?" Rory asked.

"Yes. Course it is, yeah."

The Doctor pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "What's that?"

"Old people's home," Amy replied.

The Doctor turned to the home, "You said everyone here lives to their 90s. There's something here that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick," he informed and ran off with Rory following behind with a groan.

Amy and I were utterly worn out; carrying another human being is not easy, especially when your husbands keep running off! "Can we not do the running thing?" Amy called after them.

I nodded, "Please!" 

We groaned and reluctantly followed behind them.

_Old People's Home, Lounge,_

As we walked into a lounge filled with old people, an older woman greeted Rory, "Oh, hello, Dr. Williams."

Rory waved at her.

"Hello, Rory, love!" Another older woman smiled that was knitting a hideous jumper. 

"Hello, Mrs. Poggit. How's your hip?" Rory asked, going over to her.

"A bit stiff," she replied.

"Oh, easy, D-96 compound, plus... No, you don't have that yet; forget that," the Doctor semi-suggested before returning to examining the room.

"Who's your friend? A junior doctor?" Mrs. Poggit asked.

"Yes," Rory nodded.

"Can I borrow you? You're the size of my grandson," she asked, looking towards the Doctor.

The Doctor kneeled in front of her as she slipped the jumper over his head, "Slightly keen to move on. Freak psychic schism to sort out," he leaned forward, making Mrs. Proggit lean back, "You're incredibly old, aren't you?"

The residents looked on as birdsong began; we all fell to the floor, asleep.

_Tardis,_

The four of us woke up leaning on the console.

"Okay, I hate this, Doctor. Stop it because this is definitely real. It's definitely this one. I keep saying that, don't I?" Amy asked.

The Doctor ran up to the upper level.

"It's bloody cold," Rory complained.

I was freezing; I was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

"The heating's off," the Doctor informed.

"The heating's off?" Rory repeated, less than happy.

"Yeah. Put on a jumper. That's what I always do," the Doctor replied.

"Yes, sorry about Mrs. Poggit. She's so lovely, though," Rory apologized.

"Oh, I wouldn't believe her nice old lady act if I were you."

"What do you mean, 'act?'" Amy questioned.

"Everything's off sensors, core power. We're drifting. The scanner's down, so we can't even see out. We could be anywhere," the Doctor came back down to our level, "Someone, something, is overriding my controls!" He shouted, getting annoyed.

A hologram of a man appeared at the top of the steps. He was short, had a receding hairline, and was a little on the heavy side; he wore similar clothes to the Doctor. 

"Well, that took a while," he stated, making us all jump and look at him. He started down the stairs, "Honestly, I'd heard such good things — last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm. Him in the bow tie," the man chuckled as he stood next to the Doctor.

"How did you get into my Tardis? What are you?" The Doctor asked, looking down at the man.

"What shall we call me? Well, if you're the Time Lord, let's call me the Dream Lord."

"Nice look," the Doctor complimented dryly.

"This? No, I'm not convinced. Bow ties?" 

The Doctor reached into his pocket and chucked a ball through the man, making me and Amy jump, "Interesting."

"I'd love to be impressed, but Dream Lord - it's in the name, isn't it? Spooky, not quite there," he disappeared, "And yet, very much here," he stated from behind us. I jumped and grabbed the back of the Doctor's jacket.

The Doctor noticed and wrapped his arm around my waist, keeping me behind him, "I'll do the talking, thank you. Kyla, want to take a guess at what that is?" 

I looked around the Doctor, "Uh. Dream Lord. He creates dreams."

"Dreams, delusions, cheap tricks."

"And what about the gooseberry here, does he get a guess?" The Dream Lord asked, nodding towards Rory.

"Listen, mate, if anyone's the gooseberry around here, it's the Doctor," Rory denied.

"There's a delusion I'm not responsible for."

"No, he is. Isn't he, Amy?" Rory asked, looking towards Amy that was standing close to the Doctor.

"Oh, Amy, have to sort out your men out. Choose, even," the Dream Lord raised his eyebrows at her.

The Doctor was looking everywhere like he was nervous? His grip on my waist tightened slightly.

"I have chosen. Of course, I've chosen," Amy didn't look at Rory, but she smacked his chest, "It's you, stupid."

"Oh, good, thanks," Rory nodded sarcastically.

The Dream Lord vanished and reappeared behind us, again, "You can't-fool me. I've seen your dreams. Some of them twice, Amy. Blimey, I'd blush if I had a blood supply or a real face, even when your sister is dating him. Shame on you."

"Where did you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" The Doctor asked.

"Me? Oh, you're on shaky ground."

"Am I?" The Doctor asked.

"If you had any more tawdry quirks, you could open up a Tawdry Quirk Shop. The madcap vehicle, the cockamamie hair, the clothes designed by a first-year fashion student, I'm surprised you haven't got a little purple space dog just to ram home what an intergalactic wag you are. Where was I?" 

"You were..." Rory went to remind him, but the Dream Lord cut him off by appearing on the upper level.

" I know where I was. So, here's your challenge. Two Worlds. Here in the time machine, and there in the village, that time forgot. One is real, the other's fake. And just to make it more interesting, you're going to face in both worlds a deadly danger. But only one of the dangers is real. Tweet, tweet. Time to sleep." 

Amy and Rory fell into the sleep while the Doctor and myself struggled to stay awake.

'Oh, or are you waking up?' Was the last thing we heard before we succumbed to the darkness.


	28. Chapter 25

_Old People's Home, Lounge,_

We all woke up in the lounge again, but this time it was empty.

The Dream Lord walked into the room holding an X-ray film, "Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad. Look at this X-ray. Your brain is completely see-through. But then, I've always been able to see through you, Doctor."

"Always? What do you mean, always?" Amy asked, confused.

"Now then, the prognosis is this," the Doctor sat down in Mrs. Proggit's empty chair, "If you die in the dream, you wake up in reality. Healthy recovery in next to no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality?" Dream Lord asked, looking at Rory.

"What happens?"

"You die, stupid. That's why it's called reality."

"Have you met the Doctor before? Do you know him? Doctor, does he?" Amy asked, looking at the Doctor.

"Now, don't get jealous. He's been around, our boy. Never mind that. You've got a world to choose from. One reality was always too much for you, Doctor. Take two and call me in the morning," the Dream Lord smiled before disappearing.

"Okay, I don't like him," Rory stated.

Amy crossed her arms, "Who is he?" 

"I don't know. It's a big universe."

"Why is he doing this?" I asked with a worried expression.

"Maybe because he has no physical form," the Doctor looked down. He stood up and removed the jumper he was wearing, "That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on folk like us who can touch and eat and feel."

"What does he mean, deadly danger? Nothing deadly has happened here. A bit of natural wastage, obviously," Rory inquired.

The Doctor looked around, "They've all gone. They've all gone," he repeated.

The Doctor ran out of the room, and we followed.

_Upper Leadworth,_

The Doctor was watching some of the children head into the castle ruins.

"Why would they leave?" Rory asked as we followed behind the Doctor.

Amy slammed the door shut behind her, "And what did you mean about Mrs. Proggit's act?" Amy asked.

"One of my tawdry quirks – sniffing out things that aren't what they seem," the Doctor clapped his hands, "So come on, let's think. The mechanics of this split we're stuck in. Time asleep matches time in our dream world, unlike in conventional dreams."

"And we're dreaming the same dream at the same time," I added.

"Yes, sort of communal trance, very rare, very complicated. I'm sure there's a dream giveaway. But my mind isn't working because this village is so dull! I'm slowing down, like you two have," the Doctor said, annoyed.

Amy gasped slightly and grabbed her stomach, "Oh. Ow. Really. Ow!" she started screaming, "It's coming!"

The Doctor looked at me before turning to Rory, "Help her, you're a doctor!"

"You're a doctor!" Rory shot back.

"It's okay, we're doctors," the Doctor assured and crouched down as if to catch the baby if it were to, fall out? "What do we do?" He asked, panicked.

Amy immediately stopped panicking, "Okay, it's not coming."

The Doctor quickly stood up, "What?" 

"This is my life now, and it just turned you white as a sheet. So don't you call it dull again, ever. Okay?" 

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized and turned to me, "Don't do that to me."

I laughed, "No guarantees, especially after that amazing show," I walked off towards a swing set with everyone else following. 

I sat down on a swing, and Amy took the one next to me, Rory stood behind Amy, and the Doctor stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders. I looked up at him and smiled, which he returned.

"Now, we all know there's an elephant in the room," the Doctor informed.

I crossed my arms, "We have to be this size! We're having babies!" I shouted in frustration.

"No, no. The hormones seem real, but no. Is nobody going to mention Rory's ponytail?" We all slowly smiled, "You hold him down; I'll cut it off," Amy chuckled.

"This from the man in a bow tie," Rory shot back.

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor and I said in unison.

The Doctor watched as Mrs. Proggit watched the children, "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't hire Mrs. Poggit as a babysitter," me and Amy stood from the swings and stood behind the Doctor watching Mrs. Poggit, "What's she doing? What does she want?" He asked as she turned to watch the Time Lord.

Birdsong began again.

"This is getting old!" I fumed.

_Tardis,_

The Doctor stood at the console, and we all joined him.

I was rubbing my arms, "It's really cold. Have you got any warm clothing?" Amy asked politely.

"What does it matter if we're cold? We have to know what she is up to," the Doctor snapped. He rubbed his face, "Sorry. Sorry. There should be some stuff down there, have a look," he informed.

Amy went to look, and Rory joined her. I stood next to the Doctor, shivering.

"Here," he took his jacket off and placed it on my shoulders.

"Thanks," I smiled and slipped my arms into the jacket. I laughed at how big it was on me. I stopped laughing and looked over at the Doctor, "Doctor, do you want that other life?" I timidly asked.

The Doctor looked at me, "I honestly don't know."

I nodded with a sad sigh, "Yeah..." I trailed off and made my way to the stairs leading to the lower level of the Tardis.

"Kyla..." the Doctor sat next to me and took my hands, "I want a future like that. It's just been a very long time since I've had anything like that." 

I nodded, "We're married in that other life... and about to have a baby. Is it selfish to want that life?" I asked.

He smiled at me and placed a hand on my cheek, "No, of course not. Wanting that is normal! And I'm glad you want that with me, but I could never give you that life. We'd always be on the go; we'd never have the perfect family life."

I smiled, "I don't need all that, Doctor. I want to be with you, no matter how that may be." 

He chuckled and kissed my forehead, "I love you." 

I stared wide-eyed at him, "What?"

The Doctor immediately started flailing around, "Is that too soon? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." he rambled.

I laughed and placed my hands on his shoulders, "I love you too. Now, can you please save us so that we can have that future?" 

He smiled and hopped up, "Right! I have some supplies!" He went the rest of the way down the stairs and started looking through some stuff.

The Doctor bounded up the stairs a few minutes later with a gadget; he handed it to Rory.

"Ah, Rory, wind," the Doctor instructed and gave the attached wire to Amy, "Amy could you attach this to the monitor, please." 

"I was promised amazing worlds. Instead, I get duff central heating and a weird, kitchen wind-up device, "Rory complained.

"It's a generator," I corrected with a halfhearted laugh.

"Get winding," the Doctor instructed as he pulled levers on the console.

"It's not enough," I informed.

"Rory, wind," Amy encouraged.

Rory winded, "You, why is the Dream Lord picking on you? Why us?"

The monitor screen beeped to life and showed a starscape.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

My eyes widened, "Trouble, that's where we're at."

"What is that?" Rory asked, looking at the screen.

"A star. A cold star," the Doctor ran to the doors and opened them, letting in a blinding light, "That's why we're freezing. It's not a malfunction. We're drifting towards a cold sun. That's our danger for this version of reality," he closed the door and looked through the larger monitor on the wall. 

"This must be the dream. There is no such thing as a cold star. Stars burn," Amy inquired.

"So's this one! It's just burning cold," I exclaimed. Ice can burn too!

"Is that possible?" Rory asked.

"I can't know everything. Why does everybody expect me to, always?" The Doctor flopped down into the jump seat dejectedly.

"Okay, this is something you haven't seen before. So does that mean this is the dream?" Rory asked.

The Doctor was rubbing his face with his hand, "I don't know, but there it is, and I'd say we've got about 14 minutes until we crash into it. But that's not a problem."

"Because you know how to get up out of this?" Rory asked hopefully.

I laughed a little, "No, because we'd be dead before then."

"Then what'll we do?" Amy asked.

The Doctor had put on a stethoscope and put it up to the console, "Stay calm. Don't get sucked into it because this just might be the battle we have to lose."

"Oh, this is so you, isn't it?" Rory snapped.

"What?"

"What a weird new star, 14 minutes left to live and only one man to save the day. I just wanted a nice village and a family."

The Dream Lord appeared behind the Doctor, making me jump back.

"Oh, dear, Doctor. Dissent in the ranks. There was an old doctor from Gallifrey, Who ended up throwing his life away; he let down his friends, his family and..." he stopped at the sound of birdsong, "Oh, no, we've run out of time. Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."

_Upper Leadworth,_

"I'm starting to hate that guy," I groaned as I stood up from the ground before going over to where the Doctor was. 

"Where have the children gone?" He asked and ran into the ruins.

The area was empty aside from small piles of dirt and cloth.

I felt a weird pain, making me groan slightly. Amy turned to me, "You all right? You look pale," she touched my forehead.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied with a smile.

She nodded and turned back towards Rory, "Don't know. Play time's probably over," Rory turned to us, "You see, this is the real one. I just feel it. Don't you feel it?" 

I slid past Rory and Amy so that I could get to the Doctor.

"Doctor, what are you doing? And what are those piles of dust?" Amy asked from behind me.

The Doctor let dust fall through his fingers, "Play time's definitely over." 

"Oh, my god," I breathed out, looking at all the piles.

"What happened to them?" Rory asked.

The Doctor looked towards the village, and the elderly were walking along the path. 

"I think they did," he replied, looking at the elderly.

"They're just old people," Amy countered in disbelief.

"No. They're very old people," the Doctor corrected and ran down the stairs, "Sorry, Rory, I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive."

The elderly lined up along the path facing the park. We were heading towards them, but I fell behind slightly due to the massive waves of pain going through my body. The Dream Lord appeared in a suit.

"Hello, peasants. What's this attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Amy?" The Dream Lord asked mockingly, "Let's all jump under a bus and wake up in the Tardis," he looked at the Doctor, "You first!" 

"Leave her alone!" The Doctor threatened darkly.

"Do that again. I love it when he does that. Tall, dark hero, 'leave her alone,'" the Dream Lord mocked.

"Just leave her!" Rory repeated, trying to sound intimidating like the Doctor.

"Yes, you're not quite so impressive. But I know where your heart lies, don't I, Amy Pond?"

"Shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone," Amy demanded as he approached her.

"But listen, you're in there. Loves a redhead, the Doctor! Has he told you about Elizabeth the First? Well, she thought she was the first..." the Doctor cut him off.

"Drop it. Drop all of it. I know who you are."

"Course you don't."

"Course I do. No idea how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do," the Doctor shot back.

"Never mind me! Maybe you SHOULD worry about them. Oh, and maybe your 'wife,'" the Dream Lord smiled.

The elderly began advancing. We all looked at the Dream Lord then back to the elderly residents.

"Hi," Rory mumbled.

"Hello," me and Amy greeted.

"We were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements! Are you all right? You look a bit tense," the Doctor gestured.

"Hello, Mr. Nainby!" Rory cheerfully greeted an older gentleman.

"Rory..." I mumbled through the pain. 

"Mr. Nainby ran the sweet shop. He used to slip me the odd free toffee," Mr. Nainby picked Rory up by the collar, "Did I not say thank you?" He threw Rory backward into the mud, "How did he do that?!" Rory exclaimed as he stood up.

I scrunched my face in pain as I leaned over, slightly clutching my stomach.

"I suspect he's not himself. Don't get comfortable here. You may have to run. Fast."

"Can't we just talk to them?!" Amy asked, annoyed.

The elderly opened their mouths to reveal an eye.

"There is an eye in her mouth!" Amy exclaimed.

The Doctor scanned her with his sonic, "There's a whole creature inside her. Inside all of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting."

"That is disgusting. They're not going to be popping out of anywhere else, are they?" Rory asked, completely appalled.

Mrs. Poggit leaned forward and shot a green mist at us. Rory pulled Amy back, and the Doctor manoeuvered me more behind him. 

"Run!" Rory and Amy left. I stood still clutching the Doctor's shoulder, "Kyla, I said go!"

I shook my head even though he couldn't see it, "I can't!" 

"What, why?!" He asked frantically.

"I don't something isn't right," I groaned, holding my belly. 

"Is it the baby?" 

"I think so!" 

"Okay, give me a moment," he glanced back at me, "Leave them. Talk to me. Talk to me. You are Eknodines, a proud, ancient race - you're better than this. Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?" He questioned it.

"We were driven from our planet..." 'Mrs. Poggit' began as the Doctor finished her sentence.

"...Planet by upstart neighbors."

"So we've..." 

The Doctor cut her off again, "...Been living here inside the bodies of old humans for...years. No wonder they live so long. You're keeping them alive."

"We were humbled and destroyed. Now we will do the same to others."

The Doctor nodded, "Okay, makes sense, I suppose. Credible enough, could be real." 

I yelped when a sharp pain ran through my body, "Okay, Doctor, time to go! Now!" I snapped. 

He quickly turned around and scooped me up into his arms. I let out a squeak in surprise, "You need to leave this planet."

The creature inside Mrs. Poggit screeched before the Doctor took off running. 

_Upper Leadworth,_

The Doctor had Kyla in his arms as he stumbled down the road, trying his best not to drop her, but it was a challenge when angry elderly aliens are chasing you down. The birdsong had already taken Kyla, and the Time Lord was trying his hardest to stay awake to get them both to a safe place. He just barely made it to a butcher shop.

He stumbled into the shop and somehow managed to lock the door and flip the 'open' sign to 'closed' for who knows what reason. The Dream Lord stood behind the counter dressed as a butcher. 

"Oh, I love a good butcher's, don't you? We've got to use these places, or they'll shut down. But you're probably a vegetarian, you big flop-haired wuss."

"Oh, pipe down. I'm busy," the Doctor replied.

"Maybe you need a little sleep."

The birdsong returned, and Doctor slid to the floor.

The Dream Lord leaned over the counter, "Oh, wait a moment."

The birdsong stopped, the Doctor stood up again, adjusting the unconscious Kyla in his arms.

"If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry pensioners will destroy you with their horrible eye things."

The Doctor went into the hall behind the counter; he slid down the wall, the Dream Lord motioned for the elderly to come in, "Come in. Come in," the pensioners entered and made their way around the counter, "Yes, we've got lots at 'steak' here this week. Lots at steak. Get it?"

The Doctor stood up with a burst of energy and tried opening the first freezer, but it wouldn't budge, "Are these jokes wasted on you?" 

The Doctor made it to the second freezer but slid to the floor as the pensioners came closer, "Wait, stop..." he reached into his pocket.

"Oh, I can't watch," the Dream Lord put up his hands to cover his eyes.

The Doctor stood with great effort and managed to use the sonic to unlock the freezer door. He locked it behind him and carefully sat Kyla on the ground before he too fell asleep as the pensioners pounded on the door.


	29. Chapter 26

_Tardis,_

I was leaning on the console waiting for the other three to wake up when the Dream Lord popped in.

I screamed and clutched my chest, "Don't do that!" I shouted at him.

"Sorry, my dear."

I looked at him expectantly, "Aren't you going to do something?"

"Oh, just wanted to check on you. I know how much you hate being alone."

I stared at him confused, "How could you know that?" 

He smiled before disappearing. I shook my head and pulled the Doctor's jacket closer to me as the temperature continued to plummet. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory shot up from the ground.

"Bought time!" I complained, shaking from the cold.

Amy clutched her blanket, "Ah, it's colder."

"The four of us have to agree, now, which is the dream?" The Doctor asked, rubbing his arms.

I slipped his jacket off and extended it to him, "Here."

"Now, you need it more than me."

I shook my head, "I can use a blanket; it's fine."

He smiled and took his jacket from my hand. He slipped it on and immediately buttoned it.

"It's this here," Rory decided.

"He could be right. The science is all wrong here, burning ice?" Amy questioned.

"Ice can burn, Amy," I mumbled into my hands as I breathed on them.

"Yes, ice can burn, sofas can read, it's a big universe. We have to agree on which battle to lose. All of us, now."

"Okay, which world do you think is real?" Amy asked.

"This one."

"No, the other one!" Rory exclaimed, completely changing his answer.

"Yeah, but are we disagreeing or competing?" The Doctor inquired.

"Competing over what?" I asked, confused by the Doctor's statement.

The Doctor and Rory stared at Amy and me, we groaned.

The Doctor checked his watch, "Nine minutes 'til impact," he informed as he stood.

"What temperature is it?" I asked as I started to shake.

"Outside? Brrrr. How many noughts have you got? Inside? I don't know, but I can't feel my feet and, other parts," he informed, looking at me awkwardly.

I stared at him with a slight blush, "Okay, first TMI..." Rory cut me off.

"I think all my parts are basically fine!"

I scoffed at the two of them before turning to Amy that had the same expression as me, unamused. 

"Stop competing!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Rory lunged at the console, grabbing the phone. He started waving it around, "Can't we call for help?"

The Doctor took the phone from him, "Yeah, the universe is really small - bound to be someone nearby!" He hit Rory on the head with the phone before putting it back.

Amy handed me a blanket with a hole in it, "Oh man..."

"Don't complain. Put these on both of you," she threw the blankets to the boys, and they both slipped them over their heads.

"Oh, a poncho. The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen," Rory groaned.

I shrugged, "I don't agree with that statement. Lederhosen are fantastic!"

Rory stared at me with an unreadable expression.

I cleared my throat, "Right, not the time."

Amy slipped her's on, "Here we go! Our boys..." Amy looked at me.

I smiled, "Our poncho boys."

We moved to stand on either side of them, looking at the monitor on the wall.

"If we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band," Amy continued.

"We're not going to die," Rory hopefully stated.

The Doctor looked at his watch, "No, we're not, but our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble," he started pacing as he theorized a plan, "If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world, but the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why, why, what's the logic?"

The Dream Lord appeared and started pacing next to the Doctor, "Good idea, veggie, let's divide you four up, so I can have a little chat with our lovely companion and girlfriend," the Doctor stared at him like he was nuts, "Maybe I'll keep them, and you can have Pointy Nose to yourself for all eternity, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality."

Rory tapped Amy's shoulder, "Can you hear that?" 

Amy turned to him, "What? No."

I looked at the Doctor, "Doctor..." 

"Kyla, don't be scared. We'll be back," the Doctor promised as he stumbled.

I quickly grabbed him as he fell asleep. I gently sat him on the floor, "No, no, no, Doctor, don't leave me!" I panicked.

"We're going to have fun, aren't we?" The Dream Lord smiled.

"No, I'd rather not, not without the Doctor anyway," I mumbled, moving some of the hair from the Doctor's forehead.

The Tardis was drifting closer to the freezing star, and ice had coated everything, including Amy and me. I was shaking and leaned closer to Amy.

"Of all the days I chose to wear shorts," I groaned, Amy chuckled, and the Dream Lord appeared in front of us. 

"Poor Amy and Kyla. He always leaves you, doesn't he? Alone in the dark. Never apologizes."

"He doesn't have to," I snapped. 

"That's good because he never will. And now he's left you both with me. Spooky old, not-to-be-trusted me," the Dream Lord disappeared and reappeared in a chair wearing a robe, "Anything could happen."

I gagged quietly and backed up.

"Who are you, and what do you want? The Doctor knows you, but he's not telling me who you are. And he always does. It takes him a while sometimes, but he tells me. So you're something different," Amy questioned.

"Oh, is that who you think you are? The one he trusts?"

"Actually, yes."

The Dream Lord stood from the jumpseat, "The one girl in the universe to whom the Doctor tells everything? Even when the Mother is still alive," he inquired.

I narrowed my eyes at him, _The Mother? I keep hearing that name. Who is she?_

"Yes," Amy answered the Dream Lord.

"So what's his name?" He asked before disappearing and reappearing in his normal clothes squatting between the Doctor and Rory, "Now, which one of these men would you really choose? Look at them. You ran away with a handsome hero. Would you really give him up for a bumbling country doctor who thinks the only thing he needs to be interesting is a ponytail?"

"Stop it!" Amy yelled.

"But maybe it's better than loving and losing the Doctor and hurting your dear sister," he rose from his crouching position, "Pick a world, and this nightmare will all be over. They'll listen to you. It's you they're waiting for — Amy's men. Amy's choice," he stated before disappearing.

I looked at Amy, "Amy... Is there something you want to tell me?" I coldly asked, trying my hardest not to glare at her.

"Kyla... It's not what it sounds like."

I shook my head, "You knew."

"Knew what?"

"You knew that I liked him... but you still kissed him," I reminded.

She looked at me with a hurt expression, "I thought you forgave me for that?"

I scoffed a laugh at her, "No, I forgave the Doctor! You pushed yourself on him! When you knew I liked him!" I shouted at her.

"Kyla, I wasn't thinking. I almost died..." I cut her off.

"You almost died?!" I laughed harshly, "No, _I_ did, an Angel was in my head! I was alone, Amy! Once, again," I sneered, I put my head in my hands, Amy touched my shoulder, and I slapped it away, "Just leave me alone," I mumbled and walked down the stairs to the lower level of the Tardis. I sat on the harness swing, and not long after, I heard a 'thud.' 

I stood up from the swing and walked up to the console, "Amy?" I called softly, dreading that I was alone, in the dark. When I didn't get a reply, I whimpered slightly.

"Don't be scared. I've just sent her back to be with, pointy nose," the Dream Lord assured.

I turned to him, "Why am I still here?" 

"You finally confronted Amy, and I wanted to show you something that the Doctor could never give you," he informed before birdsong started and I fell to the floor.

_Small Flat, Early Morning,_

My eyes fluttered open with a slight smile on my face; I felt a familiar weight on my waist, making my small smile turn into a grin.

"Morning," the Doctor's raspy morning voice mumbled, pulling me closer into his chest.

I giggled, "Morning."

The bedroom door flew open, and a pair of feet pattered into the room before jumping on the bed, making us both groan.

"Yay! Mummy's awake!" Our four-year-old son, Elliot, beamed as he sat on his knees between us.

I smiled and rolled over onto my back and pulled him into my lap, "Yes, she is!" I bopped his nose, "And how's my baby Time Lord?" 

He laughed and hugged my waist, laying his head on my chest, "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" He asked, giving me his puppy dog eyes.

I laughed and looked towards the Doctor that had a broad smile on his face, "I don't know? What do you think, daddy?" I asked, looking at him.

"Pancakes? You want pancakes?" He asked, taking Elliot from my lap, Elliot nodded, and the Doctor started tickling him, "What was that? I couldn't hear you?" He laughed.

Elliot giggled and squirmed in the Doctor's grasp, "Yes, daddy!" He laughed.

The Doctor stopped and quickly stood up with Elliot on his hip, "All right, Mummy, we're gonna go make pancakes!" The Doctor cheered before dashing out of the room, making 'swooshing' noises.

I looked over at the nightstand when I heard crying. I sighed and stood up from the bed. I stopped in the doorway, remembering this is just a dream, a nice dream. 

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked, knowing the Dream Lord could hear me.

"To show you what you can never have if you stay with the Doctor in the Tardis," the Dream Lord replied from behind me.

I nodded with a sigh; I pat the doorframe, "As much as I want this life... I'd take the Tardis any day," I stated, turning to him. 

He smiled, "Very well..." I fell to the floor asleep, leaving the wonderful world behind.

_Tardis,_

I jolted upright, and I felt hands fly onto my shoulders to keep me steady. 

"It's okay, you're safe," the Doctor softly soothed, brushing hair out of my face.

I smiled and engulfed him in a tight hug. He was surprised, to say the least, since we both tumbled off my bed onto the floor. We both laughed, and I laid my head on the Doctor's chest.

"I love you, Doctor," I mumbled into his chest.

He kissed the top of my head, "I love you too."

I looked up at him, "Where did the dreams come from?" 

"Specks of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass Don Slava. Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up, and induced a dream state for all of us."

I nodded, "What was the Dream Lord?" 

"Me. Psychic pollen, it's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you. Gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm 907. It had a lot to go on."

I frowned slightly, "Why didn't it feed on us?" 

"Kyla, you are a beacon of light. It would've starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck with my own company, and you know how that works out," he smiled when I laughed again. 

"How did you stop the dreams?" I asked, resting my ear against his chest; I smiled when I heard his two heartbeats.

"We died," he bluntly answered.

My head shot up, and I slapped his chest, "What?!" 

"It was the only way Rory died in the Leadworth dream..." he trailed off as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Doctor..." I said softly, "What else happened?"

"Y-you died..." 

I frowned and hugged him tightly, even though we were still on the floor. "I'm here now; I'm not going anywhere. I promise." 

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me in place. My bedroom door opened and immediately closed.

"I'm sorry! I should have knocked!" Amy exclaimed through the door.

I pulled away from the Doctor and went to the door. Amy stood there beet red, "Amy, we were just talking..." 

"O-oh..." she stuttered, embarrassed.

I gasped once I realized what she had thought. I slapped her arm, "Not in a million years!"


	30. Who Is She?

I peered around the corner of the hallway that led out into the console room, Amy and Rory had gone off to their room for some much-needed sleep, and the Doctor said he was going to his room as well. So, this was the perfect opportunity for me to research the mysterious Mother in the Tardis. I quietly went down the stairs and ran over to the console. I started typing on the keyboard, and the Tardis let out a disapproving hum.

I sighed, "I know, but please be quiet!" I whispered, not looking up from the keyboard.

I finished typing and looked up at the monitor, my finger lingering over the enter key. I inhaled and pressed it, making dozens of pages load onto the monitor. I started reading the different articles on the woman known as the Mother. 

_**'Like the Doctor, the Mother attended the academy on Gallifrey to; hopefully, one day become a Time Lady and explore the galaxies. She met the Doctor when she was at the age of eight, and they soon became close friends after an unlikely meeting. That friendship slowly grew into more which led to their marriage, and eventually their family.'**_

I scrolled down slightly to a different paragraph, _'The Mother was pronounced dead, along with the rest of her race. Shortly after the fall of Gallifrey, a woman was found on Earth, she kept appearing throughout the years...'_ it showed pictures of women from different eras, _'Some would say she's still alive, running among the galaxies with multiple different aliases; other's believe she burned with the rest of her race, but nothing can be confirmed.'_

"She was my wife, and I let her down..." a voice said from behind me. I whipped around and saw the Doctor standing there with a guilt-ridden face. 

I looked down, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked without your permission," I apologized, looking down at the ground.

The Doctor's shoes appeared in my field of vision, and he tilted my chin up to lock eyes with him, "Don't ever apologize for being curious. She's just someone I don't mention..." 

I nodded and placed my hands on his chest, "I understand, Doctor. I'd have a hard time talking about something like that." 

"What would you like to know?" 

I looked up at him, shocked; he never talked about his past. "What was your unlikely meeting with her?" 

He chuckled sadly, "She was sitting on the swings at the academy, her blonde hair was blowing in the wind," he smiled, "Even when I was eleven, I knew I loved her, but I was staring at her, like usual, and a ball went straight into my face."

I laughed, "You got hit in the face with a ball?"

The Doctor sighed heavily with a laugh, "Yes, I did. But, the Mother saw and ran over to me..." he trailed off as his smile faded.

"Hey, you don't have to talk about it."

He smiled sadly, "You remind me of her so much..." 

I looked at him puzzled, "How?"

"You, Kyla Pond, are incredibly kind. You always put others before yourself. The Mother has a meaning. It's not just a title; her name meant, 'Always kind never cruel. Always loving. Always protected until we part, but never far from view,'" he uttered.

I smiled slightly, "Well, now that you've told me something about your past, let me show you something from mine," I reached into my shirt and pulled out my locket. I reached around and unclasped it, extending it towards the Doctor, "This is the only thing I have from my parents."

The Doctor carefully took the chain from my hand and examined the locket that dangled at the end.

"Dumb things busted, I can't get the locket to open, even jewelers can't get it to open," I scoffed slightly, "Great present." 

The Doctor's eyes widened as he examined the locket, "Keep that very close to you!" He exclaimed and shoved it back into my hands.

I fumbled with it, "I take it everywhere. Why are you all jumpy?" I asked.

He fidgeted slightly, "I-it's nothing. You should get some rest, though! Big day tomorrow!" He exclaimed and pushed me towards the stairs.

"Uh, okay?" I looked at him strangely before heading to my room. _That wasn't weird at all?_


End file.
